Invisible Illness Awareness Week

This week is Invisible Illness Awareness Week. Out in Blogworld, several great posts have been written to raise awareness of IIs. Here's a quick tour of some of them:

Over at A Chronic Dose, Laurie writes eloquently:

So in the end, parsing out the implications of invisible illness leads me to another, equally powerful word:

Understanding.

It’s what we need from others when our reality doesn’t match their assumptions, and it’s what we need to remember to extend even when in short supply because, as we know too well, you never know the truth of someone’s situation from a sidelong glance.

At ChronicBabe, Jenni will be making a presentation:

This is just a quick note to let you know about a presentation I'm giving tomorrow as part of National Invisible Illness Awareness Week 2008. Read on for instructions on how to listen and call in with questions. It's tomorrow, Babes—don't miss it! (OK, if you do, the recording is archived.)

Lisa Cohen lists 51 Ways to Encourage a Chronically Ill Friend. Here's a few of her suggestions:

“A good friend is a connection to life - a tie to the past, a road to the future, the key to sanity in a totally insane world.” ~Lois Wyse

1. Ask, “What events in your life are changing and how are you coping with the changes?”
2. Understand that she lives in a constant state of making decisions for which there is no guarantee that she is making the right choice.