Super Sick: You are a chronic illness super hero

Are those with chronic illness, super heroes or just super sick? That is one of the questions that Alison Alexander seeks to answer in her new book, Super Sick: Making Peace with Chronic Illness. The book uses examples from pop culture to explore how culture treats sick people, and how those with chronic illness can find peace with their illness.

When author, Allison Alexander reached out to me about her new book, Super Sick: Making Peace with Chronic Illness, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Her message mentioned that the book was full of stories (her own and those of others) and that it shared how sick characters should be portrayed in fiction. I didn’t understand, what she was going for, but I wanted to. Allison sent me an advance copy of her book to read and as I read, I understood.

Allison’s personal story of living with chronic illness is woven throughout the book as she explores the many issues we deal with when living with chronic illnesses. Each chapter explores a different issue beginning with the point of view of a fictional character from pop culture. Characters range from Dr. Gregory House (from the television show “House”) to Almight on the anime show My Hero Academia. There were characters that I was familiar with but had never really made the connection that they were chronically ill.

The book explores topics ranging from pain management (Dr. House) to chronic fatigue and pacing (Almight). She doesn’t shy away from any topic, openly exploring the topics of dating with chronic illness and sex. She shares her experiences and those of others.

Allison was nice enough to do a short interview with me, so that I could share a bit more about her and her book with you.

Julie: In your book, Super Sick, you discuss IBS quite a bit, do you also have other chronic illnesses?

Allison: Yes, I have chronic nausea and what I’ll call vulvodynia for now because it is undiagnosed, as well as fatigue associated with all these illnesses and iron deficiency. I discuss all these in the book, too. I am in the process of being tested for SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth) and cytolytic vaginosis because one of my doctors suspects those are underlying conditions. Most of the sick people I interview in my book also have more than one condition–it’s weird, like once you have one issue, they just start piling on. Your body’s like, “I can’t handle this thing, so I’m also going to break here! And here. And here. And I hope you didn’t need this.”

It's weird, like once you have one issue, they just start piling on. Your body's like, I can't handle this thing, so I'm also going to break here! And here. And here. And I hope you didn't need this.

Julie: In what way do you feel your chronic illness(es) have most affected your life?

Allison: SO MANY WAYS. One of the most significant is my self esteem. For a long time, I felt like I wasn’t as valued as healthy people were. I thought I had to push myself to be “normal” and do things my body couldn’t handle. I thought I had to hide my illness; I didn’t want people pitying me and I certainly didn’t want them thinking I was incapable.

My illness also causes me incredible anxiety whenever I leave the house or travel. I never know when I’ll have an IBS attack, which causes incredible pain and makes me race for a bathroom, so I’m always trying to prepare myself for that: Do I have my medication? Do I have a book in my purse so I can distract myself if the pain gets bad? Where is the bathroom? Is there more than one stall or will I annoy people waiting if I’m in there for half an hour? Do the people I’m with know about my illness or do I have to explain why I’m gone so long? Leaving the house feels like a herculean effort sometimes.

Julie: What started your interest in seeking out examples of chronic illness in pop culture?

Allison: I’m a huge nerd. I love video games, anime, sci-fi, and fantasy, and I started noticing when characters with illnesses showed up in my favourite fandoms. “Hey, I actually relate to this!” I thought to myself as I watched Laura Roslin struggling with exhaustion in Battlestar Galactica. So often, heroes are healthy and fit, and when I see characters who aren’t, who are having similar issues that I am but are still participating in a grand adventure, it gives me hope and helps me feel less isolated.

So often, heroes are healthy and fit, and when I see characters who aren't, but are still participating in a grand adventure, it gives me hope and helps me feel less isolated. @allisonexander

Julie: What was the first example that you remember encountering?

Allison: I started watching the anime Fullmetal Alchemist in high school, and I immediately loved the character Izumi Curtis. She’s this tough alchemist and martial artist who is also wise, kind, and caring. She often introduces herself as a “simple housewife.” At one point, she uses her abilities (the show refers to it as science, but it’s basically magic) to create a dam and stop a village from flooding. Sometimes, in the middle of using her powers, protecting someone, or fighting, she’ll stop to throw up blood due to a chronic, internal injury.

She’s not the most realistic character with an illness, but she was the first I encountered where I thought, “Wow… she’s sick and cool!” And her story isn’t all about her illness. She isn’t just there to inspire other characters (a common trope for characters with disabilities). She’s a three-dimensional hero who takes part in the show’s adventures. She inspired me.

Julie: What pop culture “hero” do you most identify with?

Allison: I was struck by Amanda Brotzman from Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency when explaining her illness, she said, “It makes it hard to not be scared all the time.” She has a fictional illness called Pararibulitis, where she experiences real pain with hallucinations. There’s this scene where she leaves the house to do a simple task–shop for groceries–and is so proud of herself. The show captured my anxiety so succinctly with her character, it was amazing to watch. I appreciate writers who take the time to create accurate portrayals of what living with an illness is like, even (or, perhaps, especially) in a fantasy story. So, while I identify with all the sick fictional heroes I mention in my book, Amanda is the one I was the most delighted with and surprised by.

I appreciate writers who take the time to create accurate portrayals of what living with an illness is like.

Julie: Thank you Allison for sharing more about your story and how your book, Super Sick: Making Peace with Chronic Illness, came to be.

If you’d like a copy of Allison’s book, it’s well worth a read, you can find it on Amazon.com or wherever you prefer to buy your book.

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