It has been a while since I have written on this blog as you can see. This past month has been a wild ride. As I have mentioned before, my wife suffers from multiple chronic illnesses and as of today, she is recovering from bronchial pnemonia. Last week she was extremely ill and thanks be to God that she has take a turn for the better.

Speaking of chronic illnesses, I wanted to share with you about a fantastic book I just finished reading. “[1] Being Sick Well, Joyful Living Despite Chronic Illness,” is probably one of the best books I have ever read. As someone who is a care giver of a chronic illness sufferer and the Founder & President of two chronic illness support & awareness organizations, [2] The Invisible Disabilities Advocate ([3] http://www.myida.org/) and [4] Where Is God Ministries ([5] http://www.whereisgod.net/), I was moved with a wide range of emotions and challenged with new ideas and wowed by the insight of the [6] author, Dr Jeffery Boyd. In “[7] Being Sick Well,” Dr Boyd states “When I talked with people who had chronic illness but remained upbeat, I discovered that they developed methods to help them get through the day.” These methods which Dr Boyd gleaned from case histories are mentioned throughout the book and are insightfully turned into 20 strategies for joyful living despite chronic illness. The book is full of stories of sufferers and their care givers. There are even detailed statics and conclusions surrounding the continuing rise of chronic illness in America despite the notion we are getting healthier. Dr Boyd tackles these issues surrounding chronic illness with experience, intelligence and compassion.

Far from being dry, I cried and cheered and laughed. The stories are moving and what they teach in regards to “Being Sick Well” are practical and inspiring. Since my organizations do not target any specific chronic illnesses or disease, I wondered how they could have an greater impact on our world. Most people are drawn to a particular organization that deals with one specific disease or chronic illness such as the [8] Arthitis Foundation or the [9] MS Society. Dr Boyd addresses this issue by stating the following:

What is lacking is a sense of common cause among the different disease constituencies. If the families afflicted with diseases X, Y, and Z would cooperate instead of competing with one another, there would emerge an advocacy group representing a majority of the public, and suddenly the healthcare finance system would be forced to change so as to recognize and treat chronic illness. That would make life with chronic disease much more tolerable for everyone.

After reading the above statement, I knew that [10] The Invisible Disabilies Advocate was formed to help become that advocacy group Dr Boyd just mentioned. I was not only moved by his book, but I was also encourged and energized to rise to the challenge he set forth. Since currently “[11] At least 45% of all Americans have a chronic condition” there is a lot of work to be done and I thank Dr Boyd for leading the challenge in “[7] Being Sick Well.” I’ll leave you with the final thoughts from his book.

“The basis for joy in the midst of all these wilting flowers and aging grasses is God, who is eternal. He is the foundation on which this book rests. God is the source of vitality and healing, the Author of Life (Acts 3:15).”