BeWell Blog

Women in a wheel chair painting a colorful mural on a wall.

Beyond Visibility: Reframing Wellness Through the Prism of Disability Pride

Disability Pride Month is in July, and visibility is vital, but I just can't stop thinking about something more. What if we're not just asking to be included in wellness conversations—what if we're actually pioneering them? After decades of navigating...

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How to Advocate for Yourself in the Medical System – Lessons from the Rare Disease Community

How to Advocate for Yourself in the Medical System – Lessons from the Rare Disease Community

The first time a doctor told me "it's probably just constipation/gas," I nodded and went home, thinking they must be right. A few doctors and many years later, I finally got my Crohn's diagnosis at the age of 17. That...

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Why Rare Disease Awareness Matters: How It Benefits the Whole Chronic Illness Community

Why Rare Disease Awareness Matters: How It Benefits the Whole Chronic Illness Community

I'll never forget the day my doctor finally put a name to what was happening to my body. After years of being told it was "just constipation/gas" or "all in my head," having a diagnosis – even not a rare...

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Coping with a Serious Diagnosis: How to Take It In and Stay Positive

Coping with a Serious Diagnosis: How to Take It In and Stay Positive

Written by: Amanda Phillips Receiving a serious diagnosis can be one of life's most overwhelming moments. An autoimmune disease, a chronic illness, even cancer—whatever it is you hear from your doctor may make the world stop spinning for that one...

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From Strength to Vulnerability: How to Open Up About Chronic Illness as a Man

From Strength to Vulnerability: How to Open Up About Chronic Illness as a Man

Written by: Benjamin Ruehrdanz Society tells men to be stoic, to push aside pain and not to talk about their problems. Ultimately, regardless of gender, difficulties in talking about your condition come down to a practice in vulnerability. Hiding your...

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Tips and Tricks from a Nurse-Turned-Autoimmune Disease Patient

Tips and Tricks from a Nurse-Turned-Autoimmune Disease Patient

Being a patient is never easy, but being a patient after having been a nurse has been a whole different reality. I never thought I would ever be on the other side of the bedrail, but since being diagnosed with...

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Understanding Medical Gaslighting: What It Is and How to Respond

Understanding Medical Gaslighting: What It Is and How to Respond

Written by: Amanda Phillips If you have lived with any type of chronic illness for any amount of time, there is a good chance that at one point or another, you felt your symptoms were not taken seriously by a...

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Scariest Parts of Getting Diagnosed

Scariest Parts of Getting Diagnosed

Written by: Amanda Phillips Getting a diagnosis of some chronic illness, autoimmune disease, or cancer has to be one of those life moments that absolutely upends the world. This is not even the diagnosis per se but rather the overwhelming...

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