Freelance Disabled Writer | Cream Crackered Blog

Ageing & Chronic Illness: Time Lost & A Life Unexpected

I’m turning 38 on Friday and my life looks nothing like I thought it would at this age. In fact, I think if that wee girl in the photo above could see us now she’d be in for a shock. There’s something about birthdays, or really any event that marks a passing of time, that makes the chronic illness grief hit harder than ever. People like to tell us we shouldn’t dwell on the past and on our pre-illness selves but I find that impossible, because that version of me is still in th

Lorna

Jun 17, 20254 min read

Chronic Illness & Childlessness

TW - Childlessness & related grief I’ve been working on this post for a good while now, chipping away at it here and there whenever I felt strong enough to do so, because to sit down and really face it all in one go is tough. Then I realised that this week is World Childlessness Week and thought what better time to share it. There are so many people bravely sharing their stories around this topic this week and whilst they are so important, I rarely see chronic illness talked

Lorna

Sep 18, 20246 min read

Some Thoughts on Covid Safety & Suicide Prevention

Trigger Warning - Suicide If you’re someone who cares about suicide prevention but you aren’t masking in shared public spaces, I want you to think about whether your behaviour is aligned with your values. Seeing everyone readily embrace eugenicist policies over the last five years has, as previously discussed, been completely and utterly devastating as a high risk disabled person. For five years people like me have been shut out of public spaces and are consistently receiving

Lorna

Sep 13, 20243 min read

Toxic positivity can do one

TW - Suicidal ideation I know it’s well-meaning but if your response to a sick person talking about their life is to tell them to “be...

Lorna

Feb 19, 20232 min read

Life can still be good, I promise

Trigger warning: this post touches on suicidal ideation I’ve had quite a few new people join me here over the last week and from chatting...

Lorna

Jan 20, 20234 min read

“What’s the point of masks?”

“What is the point of masks?” Hearing that question from someone you love and who claims to love you is so incredibly painful. Me. My...

Lorna

Aug 27, 20222 min read

A Loving Reminder for My Sick & Disabled Pals

Everyone has access needs, whether they want to call them that or not, it’s just that ours tend to be seen as being more awkward or difficult to meet because society isn’t set up up accommodate us. I know it’s so hurtful when our loved ones would rather see us miss out than try to accommodate our needs, but it isn’t your fault and most definitely isn’t reflection on you as a person. I battled with so much self-doubt as friends began to stop inviting me to things over the year

Lorna

Aug 26, 20222 min read

Pandemic Reflections: Ableism, Eugenics and Disabled Anger

It’s raining outside and we’re still in bed with the curtains drawn, pretending the world doesn’t exist outside of our safe little...

Lorna

Aug 25, 20222 min read

A Reintroduction to Me and My M.E

Hello pals. Since there are some new faces here, I wanted to do a little reintroduction to me, but mostly to my M.E. So here’s a few things to know about me: I’m Lorna, I’m 34 years old. I live in North West England with my husband and my two cats. I love board games, pizza, peanut butter and true crime documentaries. Sometimes I look like this: ... but most of the time I look like this: That’s because for around 7 years now (4 years diagnosed) I have been living with M.E (My

Lorna

Jul 11, 20214 min read

Advocacy, Happiness and Guilt

When you have a chronic illness that is widely misunderstood and steeped in decades of stigma and disbelief from doctors and the wider public, it means that so much of your time and energy is spent advocating for yourself and your community. Life can be a constant battle to be believed and taken seriously by those around you, as well as the doctors who are supposed to help you. So, many of us take to social media to try to educate people and remove some of the stigma, in the

Lorna

Feb 12, 20215 min read