Navigating Acquired Disability and Chronic Illness in Early Adulthood

Disabled and Proud

Brooke has a candid conversation with Hannah, a guest who shares her journey of acquiring a disability in her early 20s and navigating life with chronic illness. Hannah discusses her experience with complex chronic illness, ME, and endometriosis, highlighting the challenges of being diagnosed and the stigma surrounding invisible illnesses. She reflects on the impact of her disabilities on her career choices and the process of accepting her authentic disabled self. The conversation delves into the differences in disability perception between the UK and the Netherlands, emphasising the importance of being able to show up as one's full disabled self.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Hannah's journey of showing up as her full disabled self in Amsterdam highlights the importance of embracing authenticity and setting boundaries without feeling the need to conform to societal expectations.

Hannah's insight on grief being an ongoing and ever-changing process emphasises the need to accept and live alongside grief rather than trying to overcome it completely.

The comparison between the UK and the Netherlands in terms of prescription painkillers showcases the significance of a morally neutral approach to pain relief, allowing for more collaborative and sustainable treatment options.

Hannah's experience of living a slower-paced, authentic life in Amsterdam and inspiring her friends to reconsider their own lifestyles highlights the power of leading by example and sparking positive change in others.

BEST MOMENTS

"There's such a distinct before and now there's the people who knew you before you got sick, the ways you were, the things you did."

"I think the one other thing I want to say about culture, which I think is quite important for people who live with chronic pain, is I find, at least in my experience, there's a much more morally neutral view to prescription painkillers."

VALUABLE RESOURCES

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/disabled-and-proud/id1621152878

HOST BIO

Disabled and Proud is the show that brings listeners a different perspective on disability. Each week this podcast highlights an awesome disabled guest speaking about their own disability; why they are proud to be disabled and why they are proud to be themselves.

The conversations in this show will look at what challenges these amazing people face socially, mentally, physically and life in general. This show is raw, open, honest, funny, welcoming and educational.

Disabled & Proud does exactly what it says on the tin! And whilst we are creating this space for disabled people to be unashamedly themselves, without the need to conform to society, this is also not about toxic positivity. This show will be shining a big, bright light on disability without it being “Paralympic or pity”.

As you will hear disability is WHOLE, COMPLETE & PERFECT and whilst the topic of disability can be quite heavy - and we definitely don't shy away from the bad days - this podcast is also about having fun too! Our aim is to play a part in reclaiming the word disability - turning it from inadequacy to perfection!

INSTAGRAM! https://www.instagram.com/disabledandproudpodcast/?hl=en: https://www.instagram.com/disabledandproudpodcast/?hl=en