"Surviving Chronic Illness" is now "A Body Rebels"

Impact On Relationships Episodes

This category addresses how chronic illness affects relationships, particularly with spouses, friends, and caregivers, focusing on shared experiences and emotional connections.
4
July 3, 2026

Chronic Illness, Mortality, and Never Leaving Angry

In this episode, I talk about an ordinary drive home that turned into a quiet reminder of how fragile life can be. I’m reflecting on a young neighbor’s sudden death, the strange grief of witnessing loss from a distance, and the promise my wife and I made never to leave each other angry. I also talk about chronic illness, uncertainty, marriage, and why small goodbyes deserve more care than we usually give them. This podcast is narrated using an AI voice. The words, reflections, and lived experie...
3
June 30, 2026

Race-Colored Glasses and the Stories We Tell Ourselves

Sometimes the smallest details in a story say more than the story itself. In this reflective episode, I talk about the way people describe strangers, the racial details they choose to include, and the quiet assumptions that can slip into everyday storytelling. This is a personal, conversational look at bias, fear, self-awareness, and the uncomfortable gap between what people believe about themselves and what their words sometimes reveal before they’ve had a chance to notice. This podcast is nar...
26
June 9, 2026

Chronic Illness, Old Friends, and the Cost of Unequal Relationships

Sometimes the most exhausting part of chronic illness isn’t the appointments, the symptoms, the insurance nonsense, or the daily negotiations with a body that refuses to behave. Sometimes it’s an old relationship that comes back acting as if time erased the imbalance. In this episode, I talk about childhood friendship, unresolved feelings, one-sided effort, awkward reconnections, and the quiet relief of realizing that shared history doesn’t automatically earn access to your present life. Chronic...
22
May 26, 2026

Love, Caregiving, and Chronic Illness: The Spouse Who Helps You Survive

Living with chronic illness affects more than the person with the diagnosis. It changes marriage, caregiving, routines, fear, and the quiet emotional work shared inside a home. In this episode, I reflect on sarcoidosis, heart failure, love, caregiving, and the spouse who has helped me survive the hardest parts of my life. This is a personal story about marriage under pressure, the unseen weight caregivers carry, and the kind of love that notices breathing, fatigue, fear, stubbornness, and hope w...
18
May 12, 2026

Why “You Don’t Look Sick” Doesn’t Offend Me: Chronic Illness, Friendship, and Looking Fine When You’re Not

Invisible illness can make ordinary social moments surprisingly complicated. A simple comment, a changed friendship, or a curious question can turn into an emotional negotiation when your body carries more than people can see. This episode explores chronic illness, invisible symptoms, privacy, boundaries, friendship, dignity, and the pressure to explain yourself. It’s about living in a body that doesn’t always advertise what it’s doing, while still wanting to be treated as a whole person, not a ...
20
Feb. 24, 2026

When an Editor is A CROOK: A Cautionary Tale for Writers

When you’re a writer with chronic illness juggling deadlines, the last thing you expect is your editor ghosting you mid-contract. This cautionary tale dives into how one “faith-filled” editor turned out to be a crook—and what every writer, especially those managing sarcoidosis or other chronic conditions, can learn about protecting themselves (and their wallet). This podcast is narrated using an AI voice. The words, reflections, and lived experience are my own. Contact A Body Rebels More info ...
14
Feb. 6, 2026

Why My Kindle Will Always Win Over Physical Books

As a chef, writer, and lifelong bookworm living with chronic illness, I’ve discovered that my Kindle isn’t just a gadget—it’s freedom. Between hospital visits, late-night writing sessions, and lazy Sundays with my pets, it lets me carry an entire library in my pocket without the weight or the guilt of unread stacks. Here’s why I’ll always choose my Kindle over physical books and why e-readers might be the best invention since espresso. This podcast is narrated using an AI voice. The words, refl...
11
Jan. 27, 2026

When Faith Becomes a Wall: Choosing Peace Over Painful Family Reunions

When religion divides families, sometimes the kindest thing you can do is stop trying to fix what faith has fractured. As a chef living with chronic illness and a full plate of chaos, I’ve learned that peace is sacred—and you can’t pray someone into respecting your boundaries. This podcast is narrated using an AI voice. The words, reflections, and lived experience are my own. Contact A Body Rebels More info about Sarcoidosis and to donate toward research: The Foundation For Sarcoidosis Researc...
16
Dec. 2, 2025

Why I Walked Away From Support Groups (And Found My Voice Instead)

Welcome to A Body Rebels, formerly Surviving Chronic Illness. Living with sarcoidosis is already its own exhausting full-time job, so the idea of a support group sounded…promising. Or at least not disastrous. But back in the early 2010s, when my lungs and heart were misbehaving like rebellious teenagers, the search for “people like me” turned into something far stranger than comforting. I won’t spoil the whole story here, but let’s just say it involved Christmas ornaments, long train rides, and...
9
Nov. 6, 2025

Why I'd Rather Crawl Than Ask For Help: A Chronic Illness Reality

Living with sarcoidosis and heart failure has taught me many things—chief among them? Asking for help often leads to more stress than it’s worth. If you’re chronically ill, fiercely independent, or just tired of being disappointed by well-meaning offers gone sideways, this one’s for you. Subscribe or comment here This podcast is narrated using an AI voice. The words, reflections, and lived experience are my own. Contact A Body Rebels More info about Sarcoidosis and to donate toward research: T...