Traveling expenses, hard beds, peers wearing too much perfume, long treks to conference rooms, and exhausting days make up the typical conference--all which make it nearly impossible for the chronically ill to attend events where they can find encouragement and education. National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week's “virtual” conference online is more than just practical. It's necessary.“Having a virtual conference available to listen to is like a miracle to me! I no longer have to miss opportunities due to financial difficulties or inability to travel. I can’t wait!” says Kimberly Strange of Indiana who lives with neuropathic pain in legs following her back surgery.
National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week, September 8-14, 2008 is featuring twenty live seminars, with some of the top chronic illness advocates online today at www.invisibleillness.com. Jenni Prokopy of chronicababe.com; Laurie Edwards of achronicdose.com; Rosalind Joffe of keepworkinggirlfriend.com; Christine Miserandino of butyoudontlooksick.com all come together to provide a wide variety of seminars. Seminars will be conducted via Blog Talk Radio, and the week is sponsored by Rest Ministries, the largest Christian organization that serves the chronically ill.
“This is a unique and exciting way for those of us who cannot travel to conferences of any kind, to ‘attend’ and become encouraged,” says Lynn Severance from Washington. “It will help dispel the isolation that exists as so many of us watch the “rest of the world’ have the opportunity to go and learn and fellowship with friends in a conference setting.”
Lisa Copen, 39, founder of Rest Ministries and initiator behind National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week says, “Regardless of one’s spiritual beliefs there is an underlying need to be understood, to feel like those you love have some idea about what you are going through; how it can be difficult to look fine while you are feeling so poorly. We hope we can provide a place where people find others who understand, and gain new insight, as well as increase awareness publicly.”
One of the ways to meet the needs of the chronically ill is to provide the type of forum where they can learn, connect with others and interact with professionals. For the chronically ill, who typically have difficulty sleeping, extreme fatigue, trouble walking and sitting, and even chemical sensitivities, a virtual conference, where people can stay comfortable, attend free and avoid traveling is the perfect fit.
Four seminars per day, Monday through Friday, September 8-12, are available at www.invisibleillness.com and all will be recorded and archived.
Hundreds of people are also blogging for awareness about invisible illness issues on September 8, 2008. For more information see http://www.invisibleillnessblog.com/
Key Words: multiple chemical sensitivity, chemical sensitivity, chemical sensitivities, multiple chemical sensitivities, MCS, EI, environmental illness, sick building syndrome, idiopathic environmental intolerance, fibromyalgia, chronic fatiuge, FM, CFS, mold illness, clinical ecology, alternative medicine, environmental medicine, neuropathy, encephalopathy, toxic, chemical
