In this inspiring, heartwarming video, children and staff members at Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock let out their inner lion and perform Katy Perry’s Roar.
You can make a donation to support the kids of CHaD here, and you can learn more at chadhero.org and chadkids.org.
“Growth begins when we begin to accept our weaknesses.” -Jean Vanier
I used to believe the word “healed” had a very specific meaning. In my mind, it described a state of perfection that always looked very different from the chronic health challenges I endured.
Being born with VACTERL Association, a birth disorder that causes malformations in six of the body’s systems, meant that I entered the world needing a lot of fixes. There were surgeries, hospitalizations, treatments, and medications aimed at perfecting something inherently imperfect.
I grew up searching. To be like everyone else. For a cure. For …
“As long as you make an identity for yourself out of pain, you cannot be free of it.” ~Eckhart Tolle
Up until fairly recently, I often felt betrayed by my body. It was always breaking down, leaving me frustrated and bitter.
No one else seemed to have as many problems.
I’ve had Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, an inflamed gall bladder riddled with stones that ended in surgery. Chronic migraines, chronic hives, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
Whenever I get sick, it never seems to be something trivial. A cold becomes bronchitis. Hayfever leads to a sinus infection.
One year after holidaying in Thailand, …
“Your body is precious. It is our vehicle for awakening. Treat it with care.” ~Buddha
Getting sick is rarely, if ever fun for anyone, but we all get sick. You can cheat on your taxes, but you can’t cheat on sickness.
When we get sick, we all have a choice of how to work with illness. We can choose to be miserable or we can choose to learn about ourselves and grow from the experience. Since I have had such a hard time with the latter, I’ve investigated 5 ways to practice with illness.
“You must love in such a way that the person you love feels free.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh
A lot of people I know who have had chronic illness, including myself, have had a hard time letting go of the feeling of “wrongness” that arises with it, in the mind.
I sometimes wonder where this comes from. When I look at our culture I get a feeling for where we get these messages. It doesn’t, generally, seem to emmanate non-judgmental compassion!
In our age of consumerism, photoshopped bodies, and a million-ways-to-look-young-and-feel-great-forever, the body’s propensity to get ill is generally seen …
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