Christmas Concert Fundraiser

It's that time of year for my annual live-streaming concert!!

Make sure to head to My Musical Life for all the details!

THIS SATURDAY starting at 3pm MST.

Although this is a completely free online concert, I will be accepting donations for two charities as well as tips for me should anyone donate tips. This year I have chosen two charities to benefit from donations made through the above website.
Crohn's Colitis Canada
Crisis Centres Canada

I am planning on making this concert an annual event and I will be choosing one or two different charities per year. I am hoping that each year I will select one charity that is close to my heart as well as another charity for something that which I have never experienced myself. With these concerts and fundraisers, I hope to not only raise funds for a worthy cause, but to also enlighten people about the various illnesses and complications that many people experience.

I have been moderately involved with Crohn's Colitis Canada for 18 years now. I began going on the Gutsy Walk each year after I was diagnosed first with Ulcerative Colitis, then with Crohn's Disease. I have attended the galas and the casino nights for several years now (often singing for the event), and I have even participated in some conferences. I was recently looking through old childhood bins and found pictures of being at Camp Horizon for a summer camp. I also presented and spoke in front of patients and physicians and have been part of long-term studies.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease had long been my driving force in the chronic illness community.

I chose Crisis Centres/Crisis Services to be the second recipient primarily because of the time of year. While many people experience the joy and love of family, food, and holiday parties, those who are lonely, depressed, grieving, or are simply struggling, tend to have a particularly troubling few months this time of year. Call centres for those who experience severe depression and other services that provide meaningful help to those who are having such a rough time are always in desperate need of help. Whether they need more volunteers, more funds to help them run these programs, or even just a little bit of exposure, please consider this umbrella group of organizations in your next charitable donation. With the rise in complicated mental illnesses, chronic illness, and the decline in available resources, it is more important now than ever that we ensure a safe place for people to call during some of the most difficult months of the year.

Again, the concert is this coming Saturday. It is an easy way to spend the day getting into the spirit of Christmas with some live music - from my own home to yours.

Writing

One of the tougher things about writing, in general, is that everything in writing seems black and white. You have to possess some literary artistry in order to truly convey meaning, hesitance, grey area, emotion, or any wavering.
In writing if you say something like:

"I am experiencing incontinence..."
It seems straightforward - simple, matter-of-fact, black and white.

In person, face-to-face, saying that exact sentence... 4 words... can seem or feel so much different. An extended pause can convey shame or embarrassment. Whispering the last word or saying with a specific facial expression can explain all anyone would ever need to know about the nature of that word.

What about:
"I feel sick."
Three words. In writing, simple, and yet I have so many follow-up questions.
What kind of sick? Are you going to puke right away? Did something happen? Are you nervous or anxious? Did you eat something wrong?

It all requires context, of course, but how do you rightly express yourself, without being misunderstood, in writing.
Especially small tidbits of writing - the shorter the explanation, the more difficult to properly interpret.

What I hope to convey in my writing is that I am ill. Unless a miracle cure comes along, I will most likely always be ill. That illness is not exaggerated or fake or by choice. The daily symptoms I experience are not enjoyable, not controllable, and they are serious. They can even be dangerous.
I also use humour as a coping mechanism. I make light of it - not because it is not serious, but because it IS serious, but if I treat it that way all of the time then I would lose my mind.
Speaking about something so serious in a casual way can be confusing - but it also is a method of showing others that this is my reality. This is my daily life, my daily routine. Just like everyone else has a daily routine or expected level of pain or energy, so do I. It just might be a little different.

Writing such a blog as this is an attempt to raise awareness of course, but also to talk about really awkward things in a light and humorous manner. I want to help others understand daily struggles... but like anything, writing can be misinterpreted or misconstrued. If you ever have any follow-up questions, email me at any time! Or ask me questions via Facebook (@thelightersideofmedicine) or Twitter (@BlogLighterSide).
I am always up for talking - about nearly everything regarding illness.