Surviving Illness

Do you live with a chronic, debilitating, yet invisible condition? You may feel isolated, out of step, judged, lonely, or misunderstood - and that's on top of dealing with your actual illness. Take heart. You are not alone, although sometimes it can feel that way. Written by a blogger who suffers from an invisible chronic illness, Surviving and Thriving with an Invisible Chronic Illness offers peer-to-peer support to help you stay sane, be your own advocate, and get back to living your life. This compelling guide is written for anyone suffering with an illness no one can see.

This is a personal story of generational trauma, a mother's debilitating paranoid schizophrenia and a daughter who was thrust into foster care, homelessness, drug addiction, and was sexually abused and neglected. This book Discovers the strength of the human spirit and the power of love that defies all odds, a story of resilience and hope. Beautifully written as a heartfelt memoir that invites readers to discover Lorie’s profound journey, The Voices We Couldn’t Hear is a transformative coming-of-age story that delves into poignant themes including abuse, mental illness, and the ...

From COVID-19 and autoimmune disease to chronic pain and inflammation, this new integrative approach and practical guide from two UCSF doctors is an essential guide to living with long illnesses. Having a long illness—from autoimmune disease to dysautonomia, long COVID to myalgic...

Richard Carlson Jr. was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia when he was 21 years of age. His illness first manifested when he was an early adolescent. Modern psychiatry greatly failed Richard for over a decade. Then, after an incident involving the police, he truly understood that his diagnosis was real, and finally began the long process of recovery. Over 10 years later, his life is greatly improved. In the course of his treatment, Richard also recovered from depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and lethargy.

The Golden Gate Bridge is one of the most recognizable structures to define a modern city. Yet, for author Kevin Hines the bridge is not merely a marker of a place or a time. Instead, the bridge marks the beginning of his remarkable story. At 19-years-old, Kevin attempted to take his own life by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge - a distance which took four seconds to fall. Recently diagnosed with bi-polar disorder, Kevin had begun to hear voices telling him he had to die, and days before his attempt, he began to believe them. The fall would break his body, but not his spirit.  

After many years of serving others in the medical field, author Miyoshi Umeki Gordon found herself in need of essential medical care. Diagnosed with myositis and breast cancer, the author felt broken and wondered how she would ever survive what she calls multiple unknown illnesses. In addition to the incurable physical diseases in her body, the author was also battling emotional abuse and the effects of living with a drug addict (her first husband). However, despite all the battles placed upon her by life, she never gave up on herself.

Learn first hand the story of one young woman and her family’s struggle with mental health and illness. Written from the experiences of a daughter who has schizophrenia and her mom and dad, there is a 3-fold perspective on mental illness and recovery. Filled with hope and faith, they never gave up and don’t want you to give up either. Even in the darkest places, light can be found. And in today’s world, people who experience mental health conditions, with the help of their family and friends, CAN live fulfilling, vibrant lives, with jobs, families, and interests. Today is a day of hope!

She spent her life helping others, but when her own life is on the line—can she find the strength to help herself? Sara Davidson has it all: a career as an immunologist, helping countless strangers face life-risking illnesses; a loving, devoted husband; and fantastic, supportive children. Nobody ever had any doubts about where her life was headed, least of all Sara herself. So when the migraines began, Sara was determined not to let them stand in the way of her work. At first, they were just a nuisance. Then they became debilitating. Before she knew it, she was looking at an image of a ...

Wise, visceral essays on navigating pain, sex, trauma, spirituality, addiction, recovery, and grief from queer, neurodivergent trauma-resolution guide Jessica Graham In an unapologetic look at living well with trauma and chronic illness, writer and meditation teacher Jessica Graham offers smart...

Approximately 12 percent of men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer. The good news is with improving information and technology more men are being cured than ever before. Learn the risk factors, treatment options, and more in this simple and easy to understand program.

What if you could use cancer to evolve more fully into love? David Maginley has been there - four times. His cancer led to a near-death experience and a career helping thousands face this disease. Through profound storytelling, David brings you to the core of the cancer journey to discover the hero within.

The One Left Behind Marriage, Illness, Betrayal—and the God Who Stayed By Amy Walker When vows are spoken at nineteen, no one imagines the storms that may come decades later. In The One Left Behind, Amy Walker shares a deeply personal story of love tested through illness, betrayal, separation, and the quiet unraveling that happens behind closed doors. What begins as a young marriage full of promise slowly encounters the pressures of family life, hidden struggles, and seasons neither spouse was prepared to face. As sickness enters their home and trust begins to fracture, Amy finds herself ...

Donna Levesque discovered twenty-three years too late what the term narcissistic personality disorder means and the damage it can inflict on an innocent spouse. It wasn’t until she was divorcing her husband that she learned the truth about his disorder, and suddenly the years of lies, manipulation, adultery, and addiction made sense. In her book, Levesque explains how her own empathic personality made her the perfect victim of her husband’s narcissistic desires and demands. Even after filing for divorce and learning of his sex addiction, criminal activity, bankruptcy, and boundless ...

One in three women in the United States will be diagnosed with cancer—a situation that can throw even the most self-assured individual into a crisis of body, mind, and spirit. To survive, and more than that, to thrive, we must rally all of our inner resources. On Cancer as a Turning Point...

A personal account of the stroke experience and the recovery and rehabilitation process. A guide for stroke victims, family and caregivers on what to expect immediately following a stroke, and during the recovery and rehabilitation process.

Beyond the Wall What Humpty Dumpty Never Told You: Five Strokes, One Dog, and a Pint of Ice Cream Later This is not a poetic meditation on suffering. This is what happens when your life blows up and you decide to narrate it with sarcasm. After five strokes. After diabetes joins the party. After your brain starts improvising without your permission. After you realize recovery is not a straight line — it’s more like a toddler with a crayon. Beyond the Wall is Cory B. Scott at his most unfiltered and unexpectedly funny. It’s the story of surviving medical chaos, identity whiplash, and ...

Weeks after giving birth, Holly Frances went from being a healthy 26-year-old new mom to paralyzed and on life support—in less than 72 hours. Diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disorder called Guillain-Barre Syndrome, Holly was trapped in her body, unable to move, speak, or hold her newborn daughter. Life Support tells the story of how Holly struggled to overcome the despair, hopelessness and physical pain, to regain her health and get back to being a mother to her daughter.

Surviving Myotonic Dystrophy is about Ann S. Woodbury’s struggle to care for her family who have a rare disease - myotonic dystrophy (DM). Ann’s four children and her husband have DM. In 1998, at the time of the diagnosis, even the doctors didn’t know all of the effects of DM or that it was a brain disorder. Listening to this book will take you on a journey of understanding this disease and its effects on Ann’s family members.

Despite all her best efforts to break the cycle of catastrophic, destructive patterns of mental illness, Anna Berry found herself at the end of her rope - unemployed, penniless, homeless, and in the throes of a psychotic episode that threatened to destroy her life. Alone and unwell, she manages to find her grip on life, seeks the help she needs, and embarks on a life and career that illustrate that mental illness does not have to be ruinous.

What do you do when you’ve already made peace with dying… and then you wake up and have to keep living? Deanna Cotten prepared for the end. After an ALS diagnosis and entering hospice, she said her goodbyes, surrendered her future, and made peace with leaving this world behind. But then… she didn’t die. She lived. And no one talks about what comes next. Because surviving after surrender doesn’t feel like a miracle. It feels disorienting. Exposing. Unstable. In Embracing the End… Again, Deanna shares the raw continuation of a journey she never expected to keep living—one that ...