Ladies Who Lyme: Illness and Relationships
Ladies Who Lyme
MARCH 21
Dating is hard enough, and we all bring baggage into new relationships. For some, baggage comes in the form of an illness that leaves you with little power over how your body moves in the world.
On today's show, Jacqueline and Ben are joined by Allie Cashel and Erica Lupinacci, the co-founders of Suffering the Silence, an online community, portrait series, postcard campaign and book supporting the struggles of millions of Americans who live with chronic illnesses like Lyme disease, Lupus, Crohn's disease and dozens of others. They'll discuss the basics of their experiences, how their struggles and triumphs have affected their relationships of all sorts, and what they wish healthy people knew about how to communicate and interact with those suffering the silence of long-term illness.
Then, the team is joined via phone by Chef Ariane Resnick. Chef Ariane healed her late-stage Lyme disease primarily through largely holistic methods, and now uses her healthful, healing recipes to help her clients live their fullest, most robust lives possible. How did her experience with Lyme affect her physically demanding career? What insight does she have now that has made her better at her job? And what has she learned about healing foods that all of us can use to our benefit?
About Suffering the Silence
Erica Lupinacci and Allie Cashel of Suffering the Silence, photo Amanda Crommett Photography
"Suffering the Silence is an online community for people living with chronic illnesses, a space for patients, friends, and family to share and witness the true living experience of chronic disease. Too often patients of these illnesses feel silenced and dismissed. Here, we can start to break that silence."
Find more at www.sufferingthesilence.com, and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
About Allie Cashel
Allie Cashel was first diagnosed with Lyme disease in June of 1998; she has been a sufferer of tick-borne illness and its complications for seventeen years. Her debut book, Suffering the Silence: Chronic Lyme Disease in an Age of Denial,tells her story alongside the stories of other chronic Lyme patients around the world. She is also the co-founder of www.sufferingthesilence.com, a space dedicated to building awareness for all chronic illnesses. Allie is on the Jr. Board of the Global Lyme Alliance and regularly speaks around the country as an advocate for the Tick-Borne Disease Community.
Find Allie on Twitter and Instagram.
About Erica Lupinacci
Erica Lupinacci is an actor and producer living in New York City. She co-founded SufferingtheSilence.com with Allie Cashel as a community for those living with chronic illness and disability to share their stories. Erica was diagnosed with Lupus at 18 and is dedicated to raising awareness for people who have felt silenced or alone because of their differences. She has guest lectured at Yale Nursing School & Weill Cornell College Medical College, where she also serves as a patient-teacher for medical students.
About Chef Ariane Resnick
Ariane Resnick is a private chef and certified nutritionist who specializes in organic farm-to-table cuisine and creates indulgent, seemingly “normal” food out of impeccably clean, whole food ingredients. She has cooked for celebrities that include Gwyneth Paltrow, Chris Martin, Agustina Groening, Lisa Edelstein, World Cup winner Vincent Kompany, “The Game” author Neil Strauss, and “Full House” creator/producer Jeff Franklin. Ariane has been featured in media such as Well + Good NYC, In Style, Chicago Sun Times, Star, Goop.com, Food.com, Huffington Post, Refinery29.com, Men’s Fitness and Food Network’s “Chopped.” She is also a survivor of late stage Lyme Disease and chemical poisoning, and recovered holistically from both. When not crafting beautifully presented tasty dishes that accommodate just about any dietary restriction, Resnick consults clients and chefs on wellness, nutrition, and provides hands-on instruction for simple ways to cook more healthfully. Her first book, “The Bone Broth Miracle”, was released in May, 2015 by Skyhorse Publishing.
Find Ariane at www.ArianeCooks.com, and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Jacqueline's Pieces on Chronic Illness
On Cosmopolitan
This Is What It's Really Like to Struggle With Opioid Addiction: "Some people want the drug. And some people, like me, need it."
How I Learned to Date With a Chronic Illness: "It's hard to be available when your body can betray you at any time."
My Chronic Illness Has Cost Me More than Just My Health: "Autoimmune issues sap my strength, and with it, my ability to maintain relationships."
I Can't Have Children — but I Don't Want to Anyway: "I could blame it on my medical issues, but the truth is that I never wanted children."
Featured On BlogHer
I'm a Single Woman in My Mid-Thirties. Am I a Cliche?
Suffering the Silence: A New Book Advocates for Chronic Lyme Disease Sufferers