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Top 10 Fashionably ill Articles of 2016

I can’t believe it’s New Year’s Eve!  As I write this, I am attending my 4th Annual Online New Year’s Eve Party on Facebook–the party started early this morning and ends January 3rd running the entire course of SyFy’s Twilight Zone marathon.  (To attend, click here.  You can also read my recap of last year’s NYE party/marathon here.)  On that note, on with the countdown of the top 10 most popular 2016 Fashionably ill articles.  Of course, the #1 article is the most popular article.

#10  5 Comfortable Brands of Leggings

 

#9   Sometimes You Shouldn’t Work Through the Pain (Emotional or Physical)

 

#8   The Calculus of Chronic Illness: Decisions, Dilemmas, and Trade-Offs

 

#7   5 Tips for Dating with Chronic Illness (guest post by Kirsten Schultz  who leads the Chronic Sex chat & group)

 

#6   Myasthenia Gravis Patients Share Pictures of Ptosis

 

#5   Living with Both Bipolar Disorder & Chronic Body Pain: 6 Dilemmas

 

#4    My Tribute to Carrie Fisher: An Actress, Writer, & Advocate Who Happened to Have Bipolar Disorder

 

#3   6 Tips for Protecting Your Mental Health When Bad News is Everywhere

 

#2    How to Dress Like Kelly Kapowski: Wardrobe, Makeup, & Hair (Go Bayside!)

<<drumroll please>>

5 Tips: Being Reliable When You Are Depressed

#1  5 Tips for Being Reliable When You Are Depressed

A Recap of 2016

So 2016 was an exciting year not without its ups and downs.  Thankfully, there were more ups than downs, which is remarkable, since I have five chronic illnesses.  The worst thing that happened was the death of my paternal grandmother.  Although we weren’t close and she lived far away, it still hurt.  I also had surgery but everything turned out well and my niece and I celebrated recovery by going to Saved by the Max, the pop-diner inspired by Saved by the Bell.  My nephew was in a terrible skateboarding accident where he fractured his skull. Miraculously he survived and is doing well!  I saw him yesterday–he lives in another state so we don’t get to see each other often.  I am very proud of him.  Arguably, the biggest professional up was when I landed a literary agent for the book I wrote.  (Subject of book is similar to my TEDx Talk, “How to Get Stuff Done When You Are Depressed,” which recently surpassed 300,000 views.)  The next phase is dealing with publishers.  I made a lot of improvements with the myasthenia gravis due to Reliv and I regained energy I lost over the years.  Because I had more energy this year than I’ve had in about seven years, I was able to do a lot more traveling and public speaking this year.  Oh, and we started filming the pilot for the Fashionably ill ® TV show--we’ve filmed 70% of it thus far.  The pilot is documenting my makeover of Megan, a woman who beat stage 4 “incurable” cancer.  Megan is an inspiration and if the show is picked up, it will allow me to give more makeovers to women with illnesses and disabilities.  Also, a few weeks ago, I won Health Activist Hero in the Fifth Annual WEGO Health Activist Awards.  (This was my third consecutive year being a finalist I was actually surprised to win–I thought I was becoming the Susan Lucci of the WEGO Health Activist Awards.)  I couldn’t have won without the support of my readers and people who have encouraged me since I launched this website, Fashionably ill ®, four years ago.  So I just want to say thank you!

What are you looking forward to in 2017?

–Your Stylist, Jessica Gimeno

JessicaGimeno

Hi there! I am a patient advocate, writer, and public speaker most well known for my TEDx Talk, “How to Get Stuff Done When You Are Depressed.” As someone who is juggling 5 illnesses: bipolar 2, myasthenia gravis, endometriosis, psoriasis, and asthma, I’m passionate about helping people who navigate life with both chronic physical & emotional pain. If you’re interested in hiring me to speak at your event, check out the CONTACT tab.

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