Gin and Chronic, The Podcast

Claire and Alaina come back together to rant about life changes, current events, privilege, and medical updates.

Claire interviews her classmate, Ally, to discuss Synovial Sarcoma and the path to becoming a nurse. Ally shares her diagnosis story and how it felt to try to understand and overcome her diagnosis at 18. As for so many, Ally's health story led to her career path and deeper interests.

• https://www.cancercenter.com/cancer-types/soft-tissue-sarcoma/types
• https://greatcyclechallenge.com/

Alaina is joined by a very special guest -- her sister, Lizz! Lizz shares her journey through anxiety and depression and gives insight on mental wellness.

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-8255
• Maisey and Luke (Lizz's dogs and contact)

Welcome Steven Yankopoulos to the G&C community! Listen in for a story that has it all: the Patriots, a marathon, the National Basketball League of Canada, a movie script, and, of course, chronic illness. Steven shares about his careers and passions, how his cystic fibrosis diagnosis has impacted his choices and relationships, and how our culture avoids conversations around death.

Check out more:

• https://joeandruzzifoundation.org/
• https://www.facebook.com/syankopoulos
• email: [email protected]
• https://www.instagram.com/ginandchronicpod/?hl=en

Alaina and Claire answer your questions and offer some advice on navigating difficult conversations.

Some takeaways:

• Keep the relationship at the forefront
• Try to remember the other person is coming from their own expereinces
• Understand your boundaries

Send us more of your questions or challenges anytime!

Welcome to a previously unknown edition of Headlines with G&C!

• Claire talks about the cultural contexts of pregnancy - check out Em(body)ing Culture (Alaina's textbook) for more!
• Should we expect another COVID ourbreak and shutdown? Let's go get vaccinated, everyone!
• Let's talk more about Simone Biles - the hero we all needed but didn't deserve!
• PS Athleta is worth the investment -- sponsor us?
• July 27th was the centennial anniversary of the discovery of insulin -- but access to insulin has only declined. (Shout out to Claire for all her work with T1 International)
• Will Claire win the next VaxMillions giveaway?
• Next week: Send us your tough conversations and we can help you navigate them!

Claire and Alaina are reunited to give some life updates about medications, moves, and relationships (shout out to Erin!) and to share some of the ways they find gratitude in their illnesses. They're grateful for creating deep relationships, developing responsibilities, discovering career paths, and learning their own strength and resilience.

It's another special guest episode! Please welcome Claire's cousin, Lila Haffey, a Gin and Chronic listener and someone who lives with vitiligo.

• Lila explains vitiligo and how they test for it.
• She discusses the the body comparison game and the pressure of a visible illness (and all the comments she has faced).
• She talks about the importance of support in going through chronic illness and Claire acknowledges her positivity and perspective.
• Claire discusses more about the visibility of her Type 1 and shares an ignorant comments and reactions she has dealt with.
• They talk more about the importance of representation of chronic illness and normalizing other body types in general so we can improve our relationships with our bodies.
• No one should have to defend their body and put others down to lift themselves up! We all deserve to live in the moment and be happy!

Please welcome special guest Erin Gaudreau -- friend, lawyer, business manager for Miss Massachusetts, and all around fabulous human! Erin offers insight about her Crohn's Colitis and Ulcerative Colitis and also discusses the dynamics of managing a romantic relationship through chronic illnesses.

• How our body weight affects doctors' diagnoses and treatment of our illnesses.
• How stress impacts our health and triggers our illnesses.
• How doctors can work together as a team to offer holistic care.
• Talking about our illnesses (read: poop!) with others.
• How "healthy" food is different for different people.
• Advocating for ourselves regarding our invisible symptoms.
• How we should include accessibility into more of our DEI conversations.
• How to communicate about our illnesses in romantic relationships, and the stages of that communication and support.
• Erin also discusses her fiance's illneses: Psoriasis, Psoriatic Arthritis, and Iritis.
• How boundaries are different (and sometimes impossible) for people with chronic illness.
• How chronic illness impacts family planning and pregnancy.
• Most importantly, there is hope and love for all of us!

Alaina and Claire consider how chronic illness impacts learning, and how education systems can improve to enhance access and promote understanding.

• Claire is back (along with Wyatt and Luna)!
• Alaina is on medical leave, has moved out of Boston, and is getting ready for grad school (hopefully!)
• Random tangent: Should over-anxious Wyatt consider a career change?
• Claire reflects on her experience with chronic illness through grade school and college, and considers when she chose to use her accommodations. They discuss how that choice is indicative of privilege, even in the chronic illness space.
• In academics, financial privilege continues to play a huge role and excludes people who rely on jobs for health insurance or family stability.
• School also rewards people for their attendance, which perpetuates the idea that our health doesn't need to be a priority.
• Similarly, school rewards performance alone, without taking a student's full context into consideration.
• Lastly, Alaina and Claire question how much our education system truly prepares us to work and live in a collaborative, diverse world.