Social and Emotional Wellness: Chronic Illness

Not every sickness goes away in a few days or weeks. Unfortunately, some can last for months, years, or even the rest of a person's life. When this happens, it is called a chronic illness. It can cause many difficulties in people's lives, besides the illness itself. With some determination and help from friends and professionals, though, people with chronic illnesses can learn to face these challenges. Every young person faces challenges as they grow up, but those who have chronic illnesses have additional hardships. In this book, as you read Kayla's story, you'll learn about some of the difficulties these teenagers must overcome, and you'll discover some of the treatments and support systems that help them. Kids like Kayla have a tough time--but their lives can also be filled with hope!

Illness came calling when Richard M. Cohen was twenty-five years old. He was a young television news producer with expectations of a limitless future, and his foreboding that his health was not quite right turned into the harsh reality that something was very wrong when he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. For thirty years Cohen has done battle with MS, only to be ambushed by two bouts of colon cancer at the end of the millennium. And yet, he has writ-ten a hopeful book about celebrating life and coping with chronic illness. "Welcome to my world," writes Cohen, "where I carry around dreams, a few diseases, and the determination to live life my way. This book is my daily conversation with myself, a chronicle of the struggles in that exotic place just north of the neck. At the moment, my attitude checks out well. I do believe I'm winning." Autobiographical at its roots, reportorial, and expansive, Blindsided explores the effects of illness on raising three children and on his relationship with his wife, Meredith Vieira (host of ABC's The View and the syndicated Who Wants To Be A Millionaire). Cohen tackles the nature of denial and resilience, the ins and outs of the struggle for emotional health, and the redemptive effects of a loving family. And while he may not have chosen to live with illness, illness did choose him. Written with grace, humor, and lyrical prose, Blindsided presents a life brimming over with accomplishment and joy in adversity.

Practical information for teens and their families. Praise for the previous edition: This very unusual book...is loaded with the kind of information disabled teens often need but may be too embarrassed to ask for. --Booklist The teen years are some of the most demanding. Even the most well-adjusted youth struggles with the intense daily challenges of friends, family, school and wider society. But these problems pale in comparison to those faced by teenagers with a handicap or chronic illness such as spina bifida or cystic fibrosis. "Get over it" or "it's just a phase" is idle advice and little more than offensive. "Easy for you to say," is the teenager's often-heard -- and reasonable -- response. Easy for You to Say profiles the lives of uniquely challenged teens as they work hard to make sense of the world and their places in it. The questions they pose are frank and courageous, many include street language that teens can identify with and readily understand. The issues front and center in their lives are addressed, such as family, doctors and medical issues, friends and dating, school and work, alcohol and street drugs, medications and sexuality. Useful charts give reliable information on medication interactions and side effects. Kaufman is straightforward and honest, and provides solid information. Easy for You to Say to Say addresses issues that often are not easy or pretty. It offers solid practical advice, straight talk and honest answers to questions that many would be too embarrassed to ask.

Stupid. Fat. Freak. These are the labels Melissa Binstock bestowed upon herself. Diagnosed with six different disorders by the age of eleven, Melissa was drowning in medications, treatments, and isolation. Feeling defined and controlled by Tourette syndrome, dyslexia, ADHD, OCD, anxiety disorder, and anorexia, Melissa spent her teenage years emotionally empty, socially stunted, and filled with confusion and self-hatred. How must it feel to live with so many life-altering disorders simultaneously and what wisdom can be found through living such a tortured existence? In this brutally honest account of her quest for love, acceptance, and the physical and emotional nourishment she desperately needed, Melissa Binstock takes you on a journey through the complex world of neurological and emotional disorders. You will be mesmerized and inspired as she shares her struggles to refeed her starving mind, body, and soul in her quest to become fully nourished.  

The Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller If you love Eleanor and Park, Hazel and Augustus, and Mia and Adam, you'll love the story of Maddy, a girl who's literally allergic to the outside world, and Olly, the boy who moves in next door . . . and becomes the greatest risk she's ever taken. This innovative and heartfelt debut novel unfolds via vignettes, diary entries, illustrations, and more.   My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I'm allergic to the world. I don't leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.   But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He's tall, lean and wearing all black--black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.   Maybe we can't predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It's almost certainly going to be a disaster.

Ben Wolf has big things planned for his senior year. Had big things planned. Now what he has is some very bad news and only one year left to make his mark on the world. How can a pint-sized, smart-ass seventeen-year-old do anything significant in the nowheresville of Trout, Idaho? First, Ben makes sure that no one else knows what is going on--not his superstar quarterback brother, Cody, not his parents, not his coach, no one. Next, he decides to become the best 127-pound football player Trout High has ever seen; to give his close-minded civics teacher a daily migraine; and to help the local drunk clean up his act. And then there's Dallas Suzuki. Amazingly perfect, fascinating Dallas Suzuki, who may or may not give Ben the time of day. Really, she's first on the list. Living with a secret isn't easy, though, and Ben's resolve begins to crumble . . . especially when he realizes that he isn't the only person in Trout with secrets.

A teen grapples with ALS and his decision to die in this “deeply moving” (Booklist, starred review) debut novel infused with the haunting grace of Japanese poetry and the noble importance of friendship. Sora is going to die, and he’s only seventeen years old. Diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), he’s already lost the use of his legs, which means he can no longer attend school. Seeking a sense of normality, Sora visits teen chat rooms online and finally finds what he’s been longing for: friendship without pity. As much as he loves his new friends, he can’t ignore what’s ahead. He’s beginning to lose the function of his hands, and soon he’ll become even more of a burden to his mother. Inspired by the death poems of the legendary Japanese warriors known as samurai, Sora makes the decision to leave life on his own terms. And he needs his friends to help him.