Laurie Edwards es una autora que se adentra en las realidades de las enfermedades crónicas y su impacto en la vida de los jóvenes adultos. Como periodista de salud, crea ensayos personales y artículos para una variedad de medios de comunicación prestigiosos, explorando profundos temas de la experiencia humana. Su obra se caracteriza por su cruda honestidad y su perspicaz examen de la vulnerabilidad y la fortaleza en medio de desafíos de salud a largo plazo. La escritura de Edwards fomenta una mayor comprensión y empatía hacia quienes navegan la vida con condiciones crónicas.
Outlines advice about how to take a pro-active role in managing chronic illness, citing a rise in patients with chronic illness who might not have survived in earlier historical periods while sharing advice on such topics as interacting with medical professionals and having a career that makes room for health needs.
A Social History of Chronic Illness in America
Thirty years ago, Susan Sontag famously wrote, “Everyone who is born holds dual citizenship, in the kingdom of the well and the kingdom of the sick . . . Sooner or later each of us is obliged, at least for a spell, to identify ourselves as citizens of that other place.” More than 133 million Americans now live with chronic illness, accounting for nearly three quarters of all health care dollars and untold pain, disability, and heartbreak. Patients with diseases as varied as HIV, cancer, or type 2 diabetes have been stigmatized, accused of causing their preventable illnesses through their lifestyle choices. People with irritable bowel syndrome and female patients with chronic fatigue syndrome have been told their symptoms were due to anxiety; and millions of people with chronic pain have faced skepticism from physicians and the public alike. What The Noonday Demon did for people suffering from depression, Laurie Edwards does for those who are chronically ill, championing their cause and giving voice to their lament.