May 12 is Fibromyalgia Awareness Day. Of the many illnesses I live with it seems to be the one that I give the most attention to, even though it’s probably the one I have the most under control these days. I think a large part of the attention I give to Fibro comes from the lack of attention it receives overall, and that the attention that it does get is typically negative.
Most of people’s awareness of this illness comes from those terrible Lyrica ads. The ones that seem to insinuate that with their magic pill we will automatically go from inactive and constantly in pain, to zero pain, happy, and living life to the fullest. If only. I have found through a combination of major diet changes, lifestyle changes, medications, and a lot of supplements that I can keep Fibro under control and I can even almost keep it from affecting my life, but it’s still there. Sadly, of all my illnesses I think it’s also the one with the most stigma attached, probably because it’s the least understood.
Each year around this time I try to think of a way that I can bring more positive attention to Fibromyalgia and to be honest every year I’ve failed. This year is no different, but thankfully there are others who are much more creative and thoughtful than I am. I’m so thankful for Brandi Clevinger, not just for this campaign she’s created but for her amazing blog, BeingFibroMom. She’s an amazing blogger and when she shared her idea with me I couldn’t help but want to get on board.
There are “light it up” campaigns for many illnesses – Light it up pink for Breast Cancer, Light it up Blue for autism, etc – so why don’t we have a campaign for Fibromyalgia? Most of us know that purple is the color for Fibromyalgia, it’s our awareness ribbon color, so this year (and in years to come) let’s raise awareness by Lighting it up Purple for Fibro! Check out Brandi’s full post on the “Light it up Purple for Fibro” campaign, then join in this month as we shed some light on our greatly misunderstood illness.
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