Chronic illness is disabling, isolating, and often devastating; it also gives us unique insight into health, community, spirituality, and what it means to be well.
Our Vision
We are Mariana and Sage Garrettson, a family duo with chronic physical and mental illness. Between us, we cope with ME/CFS, Long COVID, Major Depression, and many other diagnoses.
Over our combined decades of experience with invisible disabilities, we know how isolating it can be to feel unseen. We offer our stories of living with, learning from, and thriving through illness.
Both our professional and personal experiences influence our writing. Our lens is one of social justice, informed by our background in public health and social work, respectively. We understand that systemic barriers to access are a major part of what makes chronic illness so challenging.
We are White, queer, working-class people and navigate the world through the intersections of these identities. We aim to tell our stories honestly and lift up different perspectives throughout this project.
Our spiritual lives are informed by our progressive Quaker faith as well as many non-christological influences. We feel deeply connected to nature and both have experience as wilderness educators. Both trained massage therapists, we have a holistic view of health and the human body.
We aspire to create a touchstone for those experiencing chronic illness firsthand and anyone who loves someone with a chronic illness. As chronically ill creators, we hope you will give us grace as we navigate publishing through illness.
Our goal is to build understanding, share resources, and create a community of like-minded folks.
Join us in finding the insight in chronic illness.
Our content on Substack is free! We have worked hard to create this project, so if you want to support us, consider becoming a paid subscriber or chipping in a couple of bucks.
Featured Art
We have chosen to collaborate with other chronically ill creators on many aspects of this project. If you have a chronic illness or disability, we would love to work with you! We are open to many ideas: guest essays, interviews, music, or art commissions. We can't guarantee that anything will happen very fast or that we can compensate you (though that is our goal). If you want your story told or your work represented, and we are a good fit, we would love to give you a platform. Feel free to reach out to us at illnessandinsight@gmail.com or
Here are a few of the pieces we have commissioned so far.
Daffodils in the Snow
Credit: @doitforthesulz
The Chronic Illness Community
Credit: @iankeanu
Self-Portrait of a Friend
AI Statement
We believe in minimizing AI use for ethical reasons, including environmental impact, surveillance, and artistic integrity. We also believe AI can be a useful tool when used in moderation. We sometimes use AI to organize our thoughts and polish our work, but all our words and ideas are our own.
Accessibility
Our aim is to make our writing as accessible as possible. Plain language, audio, and large, sans-serif fonts are a few of the things we have thought of to make our work more accessible. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to make this experience easier for you.
Healing Circles
In addition to essays and articles, we host Healing Circles on Zoom most months. The group is based on Quaker practices of deep listening along with structure from Healing Circles, a global organization dedicated to healing and connection. In our circles, we create a sacred space for silence, poetry, and sharing. We hope you can join us for a time of rejuvenation and reflection.
Groups usually last around an hour and a half. We encourage you to come as you are (in pajamas or in bed is fine!), any month that fits your schedule.
Acknowledgments
Thanks to everyone who has helped us with this project, many of whom are also a part of the chronically ill community. Special shoutouts to Michael Minnig and Lex Klein (editing), Brooke Carroll and Paummi Sarrazin (consultation), Nathaniel Arbor (photography), Matt Gordon (Healing Circles), Linda Garrettson (emotional support), the Baltimore Polaris Writing Workshop (writing feedback), and Susan Garrettson, for providing a space for us to write each summer. A special thank you to everyone who has read, commented on, and shared our work. This project is truly a collaboration, and we couldn’t have done it without the support of our community.
Advocacy and Support
Here are some resources if you are looking to find support or to assist others struggling with chronic illness or disability:
Operation Olive Branch - This grassroots organization has been an essential source of support for those affected by conflict in Palestine, the Congo, and Sudan.
Many of the families affected by these conflicts have chronic health problems and are unable to access vital healthcare. Please consider donating to Maram and her family of seven, multiple of whom suffer from chronic illnesses.
ME Action: “People with ME are at the center of what we do. We fight for our community and strengthen our collective voice through strategic partnerships, mass mobilization, research, education and storytelling. We build awareness and power to achieve effective and well-funded research, treatment, care, and support for all people with ME.”
Long Hauler Advocacy: “Our mission at COVID-19 Longhauler Advocacy Project is to advance the understanding of Long COVID and its associated conditions, and expedite solutions and assistance to Longhaulers and their families through advocacy, education, research, and support.”
Long COVID Alliance “We put the power of the Long COVID community front and center by involving patient-advocates at every level of policy change and international advocacy. Become a signatory on LCA-endorsed petitions and other calls-to-action to urge key decision makers to fight for Long COVID progress. Together, we can change the future of post-viral illness.”
Solve ME “The Solve ME/CFS Initiative (Solve M.E.) is a non-profit organization that serves as a catalyst for critical research into diagnostics, treatments, and cures for myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), Long Covid and other post-infection diseases. Our work with the scientific, medical, and pharmaceutical communities, advocacy with government agencies, and alliances with patient groups around the world is laying the foundation for breakthroughs that can improve the lives of millions who suffer from various “long haul” diseases.”
