Invisible Illness Week Starts MONDAY!

Invisible Illness Week Starts Monday, Sept 14th!

Join us for a free virtual conference. Just go to www.invisibleillnessconference.com and listen on your speakers. All programs will be archvived to listen to later and also available on iTunes. This event is the annual outreach of Rest Ministries.

All times are pacific time, USA
Listen here http://www.invisibleillnessconference.com

SEPT 14
MONDAY - 9 AM
Understanding How we Uniquely Deal with Difficulties in Life
Georgia Shaffer

MONDAY - 12 PM
Finding Health Insurance Coverage with a Pre-existing Condition
Jennifer Jaff

MONDAY - 3 PM
Super Foods for Super-Natural Health
Joanna Faillace

MONDAY - 5:30 PM
Hearts of Gratitude and Joy
Maureen Pratt

SEPT 15
TUESDAY 9 AM
Coping with Chronic Illness in Your Marriage
Bill & Pam Farrell

TUESDAY 12 PM
Coping with Crises on Top of Chronic
Jennifer Saake & Lisa Copen

TUESDAY 3 PM
How to Start a Business When You are Chronically Ill
Kirsten Borrink

TUESDAY 5:30 PM
To to Be Announced
Kelly Rouba

SEPT 16
WEDNESDAY 9 AM
It's OK to say NO: Building Healthy Boundaries
Jenni Prokopy

WEDNESDAY 12 PM
Parenting When You are Chronically Ill - Chaos and Confessions
Dena Dyer, talking with Lisa Copen

WEDNESDAY 3 PM
Simplifying Your Home and Housework
Marcia Ramsland

WEDNESDAY 5:30 PM
Real Talk About Men and Chronic Illness
Jeff Kenyon

SEPT 17
THURSDAY 9 AM
Find the Job You Desire and Can Do
Rosalind Joffe

THURSDAY 12 PM
When Your Child is Chronically Ill
Jolene Philo

THURSDAY 3 PM
Managing College with a Chronic Illness
Lynn Royster

THURSDAY 5:30 PM
Helping Others Understand Your Pain
Karen Richards

SEPT 18
FRIDAY 9 AM
Applying and Winning Disability Assistance When You Are Chronically Ill
Scott Davis

FRIDAY 12 PM
Being a Teenager with a Chronic Illness
Naomi Kingery

FRIDAY 3 PM
Surgery Preparation
Curtis Dean Hall

FRIDAY 5:30 PM
Closing workshop
Lisa Copen and guests

Sept 14-20, 2009

96% of Illness is Invisible - Awareness Week Validates Those Who “look so good!” but Feel Awful

SAN DIEGO (2009) Nearly 1 in 2 Americans has a chronic condition, and 96% of them live with an illness that is invisible. These people do no use a cane or any assistive device and may look perfectly healthy. Sixty percent are between the ages of 18 and 64.

September 14-20, 2009 is National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week. The theme is “A Little Help Gives a Lot of Hope.” It is a major public awareness campaign sponsored by Rest Ministries, an organization that offers a supportive environment for those who live with chronic illness or pain. Sept 14-18 NICIAW features a free virtual conference with 4 seminars each day available to listen to live or download later.

Paul J. Donoghue and Mary Siegel, co-sponsors of the week and authors of Sick and Tired of Feeling Sick and Tired: Living With Invisible Chronic Illness say, “Invisible chronic illnesses (ICI) have symptoms that are difficult to see and impossible to measure such as pain and fatigue. So those with ICI frequently encounter not compassion and support but impatience and skepticism from physicians and loved ones.”

“Living with an illness that is invisible to those around us can often have a more devastating affect on our emotional health than the physical pain,” explains Lisa Copen, 40, the founder of Rest Ministries who lives with rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia. She was recently awarded the Audience’s Choice Award for Women’s Health Hero of Our Bodies Ourselves out of nearly one hundred applicants. “Each day we must choose to thrive, to do something out of the ordinary, or make a new friend. It’s easy to get in the habit of living a life of survival.”

“A large part of our campaign is reminding people that just a little help to someone who is ill or hurting can give them a lot of hope.” says Copen. “Just because someone isn’t using a wheelchair doesn’t mean that she doesn’t have a disability. Friends and family of those with chronic illness care a great deal about what their loved ones are going through, but oftentimes the invisibility of the illness sets up an environment for misunderstandings and even doubt about the validity of the illness. We hope to increase awareness of how many people ‘look great’ but are hurting deeply.”

Outreach includes various events: the distribution of free literature such as cards with multiple ways to encourage a chronically ill friend. Other resources include You Look So Good: A Guide to Understanding and Encouraging People With Chronic, Debilitating Illness and Pain. Churches and organizations across the U.S. will be participating by in having people share their stories.

For a complete list of events and resources visit www.invisibleillness.com.