Skip to content
The Crazy Creole Mommy Chronicles The Crazy Creole Mommy Chronicles

Tackling Mommyhood One Tantrum & Flareup at a Time

  • Home
  • About The Chronicles
  • Blog
  • In the Media
  • IBDMoms
  • IBD Events
  • Contact Me
    • Privacy Policy
The Crazy Creole Mommy Chronicles
The Crazy Creole Mommy Chronicles

Tackling Mommyhood One Tantrum & Flareup at a Time

HealTheVoices

Posted on April 25, 2015April 25, 2015 By Brooke Abbott

IMG_3821Last week I had the pleasure to be invited by Janssen to participate in their HealtheVoices Conference 2015. I spent three days with 65 other patients and advocates of a variety of diseases like Diabetes, AIDS, MS, Cancer and many others. I also had the amazing blessing ofIMG_3843 being able to finally connecting face to face with my fellow online Inflammatory Bowel Disease advocates. No, I have never met these people in real life (except for Ryan, who I met at the DDNC this past year), and yet they are some of the first people I will go to with an issue I am having both IBD & non-IBD related. These people are just as much my friends and family as the people I’ve known for ages. To be able to sit with someone with a J-Pouch, who has children around the same age as Hippo and realize that my life is actually quite normal.

As much as the conference was about fellowship, it was also about learning about how to better serve our communities as advocates. The conference provided resources and tools in the way of recognizing our own Compassion Fatigue, expanding our reach and finding a way to really use our platform to the best of our ability. What an amazing thing Janssen did, truly. I say that as a patient and an advocate. It was truly amazing to be in a room with about 65 of some of the strongest people I know.

IMG_3838It’s an interesting thing being an advocate for a deadly disease while you are battling a deadly disease. Interesting because you are exceptionally passionate about sharing information, providing a beacon of hope for other patients and just providing a sense of normalcy. But the problem is that I am just as sick as a lot of my readers. Often I find myself stressed out at the fact that I am not always posting, which will make me sicker, because stress induces an autoimmune flare up. I stress because I feel a sense of duty to help someone who may be worse off than me. Most people believe that blogging is more of a narcissistic form of therapy where we sit around, complain & overshare life as a mother, patient or whatever. But as a patient advocate and as a mother, I actually am providing a service to my community. Providing a cyber hug & helping hand by sharing my resources and information. And I know that there are people who depend on some of my information, that it’s more than just a good read. I think that sometimes it makes me forget that I too, am sick. That I need to take a moment for myself. And that it is okay. I learned just how okay it is, at this conference. I realized that if I don’t take that time, I am no good to anyone. That goes for blogging and for motherhood. I have to put my oxygen mask on first so that I am able to help put on someone else’s. img_gs154847224_04182015_154847224

I cannot wait for the next conference with Janssen. I appreciate the fact they are recognizing the personal relationships bloggers have created with their readers, who are the consumers/patients. I look forward to attending next year. I promise to take more pics and tweet more from the conference so you can enjoy our fellowship as well. Shout out to my IBD family Kelly, Amber Tresca, Ryan,  Amber, Sara, Dan, Frank & Marisa. And to my new friends, Ben, Brittany, Aimee, Karen, Kerri, Kevin & Brian.

image003

*Janssen paid for my travel expenses for the summit. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.”

Blog Crazy Creole Mommy Fav Crohn's & Colitis Giving Back Travel advocacyAutoimmune DiseaseBrooke AbbottcolitisCrohn'seducationEveryday HealthHealthInspirationJanssenjohnson & JohnsonJpouchJpouch MommyloveRemicadeSingle MommySingle Mommy with JPouchSingle Mommy with Ulcerative Colitisstay at home momUlcerative Colitis

Post navigation

Previous post
Next post

Related Posts

Arming Your Teens With The Tools Of Knowledge

Posted on November 27, 2012

I don’t have a teenager. But I was once a teenager and therefore am afraid to have one! Being a teenager today is a lot different than it was for me. I don’t know if it’s harder or easier, it’s just different. By the time I graduated high school, I…

Read More

IBD Alert!!! Free Resource!

Posted on June 26, 2013

I wish I had this while I was fighting Colitis with no health insurance, so I want you to take full advantage in my place. The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation is hosting a webinar for Managing Your IBD Care. With or without health insurance, having a disease like Crohn’s or…

Read More
Blog

From The Young Advocate

Posted on May 5, 2016

Some of my first experiences with advocacy came from, Holly Robinson Peete. Being friends with her and then working for her, showed me a lot about standing up and standing your ground without reservation. She stood up for her dad & other Parkinson’s Disease Patients without hesitation. And when her…

Read More

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

  • Forty, The Year Of The Pivot
  • Last Year in my 3rd Decade
  • Some Unicorns Have IBD
  • Just Brooke. Just Mom. Just Crazy Creole Mommy.
  • A New Adventure Awaits

Studying Abroad GoFundMe

Donate to IBDMoms

©2023 The Crazy Creole Mommy Chronicles | WordPress Theme by SuperbThemes