Julie Gruber Julie Gruber

Things we shouldn’t have to get sick to learn

We often talk about what people living with chronic conditions need to learn, adjust to, or do differently. But what if we flipped the conversation and considered what their experiences might teach us all about living well?

Read More
Julie Gruber Julie Gruber

7 things i started doing between doctor visits to take my power back

Some of the hardest words I heard in the doctor's office weren't "We don't know what's wrong," or even "There's nothing more we can do."

They were: "We'll see you again in three to six months."

And like so many others living with chronic illness or pain, I found myself wondering:

"Okay...but what am I supposed to do until then?"

Read More
Julie Gruber Julie Gruber

When “Just” Isn’t simple

Few words sting quite like just when you’re living with chronic pain. It might sound harmless enough on the surface, yet it carries an assumption that effort, access, and capacity are universal. In this context, it can feel like a four-letter word that cuts to the bone.

Read More
Julie Gruber Julie Gruber

The imperative of self-advocacy

Living with chronic pain is exhausting enough, but dealing with people who minimize us, and our experience, is no less exhausting and irritating. It gets so old. The energy it takes to constantly encounter such limited understanding and entitlement from people

Read More