National Invisible Chronic Illness
Awareness Week, Sept 10–17
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Who Hates to Hear They Look
Great? Over Half of the Chronically Ill!
Contact: Lisa Copen, Director
National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week
888-751-7378 – www.invisibleillness.com
e-mail: lisa@invisibleillness.com
SAN DIEGO – In a recent survey of 611 chronically
ill individuals, done by the National Invisible Chronic
Illness Awareness Week committee, 53.27% of the respondents
said that the most frustrating or annoying comment people
make about their illness is “But you look so good!”
“Although telling someone they look good is often
seen as a compliment,” says Lisa Copen, founder
of National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week,
“it feels like an invalidation of the physical
pain or seriousness of one’s illness and the suffering
they cope with daily.”
According to Copen, author of "Beyond Casseroles:
505 Ways to Encourage a Chronically Ill Friend,"
statistics show that nearly 1 in 2 people in the USA
have a chronic condition and 96% of the conditions are
invisible. National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness
Week, held September 10–17, is an outreach to
increase awareness that living with an invisible illness
can be an emotional challenge—as well as physical—and
that more people than we would imagine are suffering
silently.
Respondents answered the survey at www.invisibleillness.com
and reported the following other annoying comments people
tend to make:
- “Your illness is caused by stress.”
(14.22%)
- “If you stopped thinking about it and went
back to work…” (12.42%)
- “You can’t be in that much pain. Maybe
you just want attention.” (10.95%)
- “Just pray harder.” (9.15%)
Carmen Leal, creator of SomeOne Cares Christian Caregiver
Conference and author of "The Twenty-Third Psalm
for Caregivers" says, “When someone appears
physically normal people are less likely to show understanding
and compassion. National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness
Week is an important opportunity to help families, businesses,
churches, and communities understand that conditions
without an outward sign are just as debilitating as
other more visible illnesses and disabilities.”
Copen, 38, who has lived with rheumatoid arthritis
and fibromyalgia for 15 years agrees. “We know
that 75% of marriages impacted by illness end in divorce
and 70% of suicides have uncontrollable physical pain
as a factor.* There are hundreds of invisible illnesses
such as diabetes, cancer, myasthenia gravis, fibromyalgia,
chronic fatigue syndrome, and Crohn’s disease
as well as mental illness and conditions such as bulimia
or migraines. Regardless of one’s illness or level
of pain, feeling isolated and misunderstood can be emotionally
devastating. We are each responsible for learning how
to effectively show compassion and understanding to
those we care about, including the chronically ill.”
National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week’s
Web site has articles, resources, and will feature 21
online seminars during Sept. 10–14. Guests include
disability attorney Scott Davis, Maureen Pratt, author
of "Peace in the Storm: Meditations on Chronic
Pain and Illness" and Jenni Prokopy, founder of
ChronicBabe.com.
Outreach materials include t-shirts, silicone awareness
bracelets, and rack cards, which are appropriate for
support groups or the work place and state what to say
and not say to a chronically ill person.
The theme for this year's Invisible Illness Week campaign
is “Living with invisible illness is a roller
coaster. Help a friend hold on!”
For more information go to our Web site www.invisibleillness.com
or call 888-751-7378. National Invisible Chronic Illness
Awareness Week is sponsored by Rest Ministries, a Christian
organization that serves the chronically ill and "HopeKeepers
Magazine."
_________________________
* Sources: National Health Interview
Survey / Mackenzie TB, Popkin MK: "Suicide in the
medical patient." Intl J Psych in Med 17:3-22,
1987
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