Kindness & Generosity on Full Display – #RRBC #AllergicToLife

Welcome to Day 8 of the “SPRINGTIME BOOK & BLOG BLOCK PARTY!”

In honor of the late KATHRYN C. TREAT, Author

There will be three winners at this stop today.

GIVEAWAYS:

(1) E-book copy of “ALLERGIC TO LIFE”

(1) $10 Amazon gift card (Courtesy of Joy Nwosu Lo-Bamijoko) Author of “PREGNANT FUTURE”

(1) $10 Amazon gift card (Courtesy of Harmony Kent) Author of “MOMENTS”

(1)  $5 Amazon gift card

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OK, so, this was not the scheduled stop for today, but it is now, and in my opinion, it will be the most amazing stop along the entire tour!

I scoured Kathryn’s blog to try and find a post that would in some small way, sum up her passion for what she so strongly advocated for, and, also to give you a glimpse into what she was going thru and having to deal with, on a daily basis.

Here is a post that she wrote on September 8, 2014…it’s entitled:  NATIONAL INVISIBLE ILLNESS WEEK.  This is a perfect post, because she often shared with me, that people thought she was crazy and that her illness was all in her own head.

Kathryn’s no longer here with us.  She passed away two months after she wrote this post, after having celebrated RRBC’s Christmas Party online with us.  We think of Kathryn often, and it’s funny how sometimes we speak of her, as if she’s still here, and for those of us who she touched so deeply, she is.

Here’s the post:

Today (September 8, 2014) is the start of National Invisible Chronic Illness  Awareness Week which runs through September 14th.

How many of you who are ill with environmental illness, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, etc., have been told that you don’t look sick?  I have been told that I look good when I feel horrible.  On one hand, I am glad that I am not looking as horrible as I may feel, but it is hard to explain to others when you may not look as bad as you feel. On August 3, 2012, I posted on this site, “Me in the Beginning.”  When you look at my picture taken in 2002, it is easy to see how sick I was.  I don’t even think I realized how sick I looked, until later when I saw my picture.  I knew I felt bad and something horrible was wrong, but looking at myself in the mirror daily, the changes were gradual.  I didn’t suddenly wake up with dark circles, a haunting look, skinnier than I had ever been and with yellowing skin tone.

I want to raise awareness that environmental illness, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia and other chronic illnesses may not necessarily affect a person’s appearance. It is truly an invisible and silent terror that many go through on a daily basis.  I hope that a day will come when someone says they have some unusual or unexplained illness, they will be treated with respect and their complaints taken seriously.

Toni Bernhard wrote a wonderful article entitled The challenges of Living with Invisible Pain or Illness.  I hope writings such as this one, will allow you to know that you are not alone in your battle with invisible illness.

Please take a moment to visit the Invisible Illness  website and read the stories that others have shared. 

I hope that all of you who visit today will pick up a copy of ALLERGIC TO LIFE.  It is an enlightening and most enjoyable read!

BOOK TRAILER:

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Kathryn’s book and her blog, Facebook page, etc. are all still very alive on the RRBC site, where they will always remain.  I ask that you please follow each of her social media forums and continue to spread the word with us, so that her mission continues and her legacy never dies. **Kathryn, #WeWillNeverForget or #LeaveYouBehind.

Remember to leave your comments below and thanks for supporting this stop today!

*To follow along with the rest of the tour, click HERE!