Type of Submission: Health Story

Neurodiversity Poems

This anthology houses a multitude of poems related to neurodivergence. The authors all have different backgrounds as this is an open site where anyone can publish their work. The site is searchable and poems are tagged. Some examples include a poem about masking, the perception of “normal,” and “praying for a neurotypical brain.” One poem details an individual’s experience with growing up and feeling like they constantly are on the outside looking in and having to hide aspects of themselves to fit in. This site could be utilized as a resource for creative writing in terms of neurodivergence. As poems from personal, first hand experiences of neurodivergence, they provide insight as to the nuances to individual experiences that caution us against generalizations and stereotypes.

Autism and Neurodiversity: Different Does Not Mean Broken.

In this TedTalk, Adriana White (librarian, former special education teacher, and author) discusses the idea of neurodiversity. She was diagnosed with autism and anxiety in her 30’s and now advocates for inclusive schools and libraries. Her talk includes stories of her own autistic experiences, including how others labeled and made fun of because of the way her brain works. This video could be utilized as a tool to investigate how medical diagnoses elicit certain stereotypes and biases, such as being denoted as a “weird” kid. Additionally it could be used as a way to create dialogue surrounding the cultural and societal norms that surround the ideas of being “normal” as well as raising questions about accommodations in the built environment and the social model of disability.

Neurodivergent Narratives

Sandra Coral is a student, teacher, writer, podcaster, and learner all about neurodivergence. They have multiple social media sites (instagram, twitter, Facebook) that are publically accessible and focus on promoting education and awareness about neurodivergence. She is autistic and has ADHD and shares her own experiences via through written posts, videos, and podcasts on topics such as sensory processing, fitting in, masking, and burnout. Sandras’s sites could be utilized in a classroom setting as narratives from someone who is neurodivergent told in their own voice. The link below is to the Facebook page, where the About profile provides links to other platforms. Her social media posts are useful not only for discussing neurodivergent narratives, but also for reflecting on what constitutes a narrative (small individual posts retelling everyday life? the accumulation of posts over time?). In contrast, her Substack includes longer posts that more clearly resemble stories.

Mental health Poems for Teens

The Poets.Org website of the Academy of American Poets has curated this collection of 14 poems related to mental health that were selected for teen readers (part of a series of “Poetry for Teens” on various topics). Some themes throughout the poetry are depression, anxiety, as well as hope and resilience. Each poem includes a description of some of the themes within it as well as details about the author. The pieces span a range of time periods and a variety of authors with different backgrounds including, for example, Emily Dickinson and Sylvia Plath, as well as Naomi Shihab Nye and Ada Limón.

Community Conversations – Epiphany’s Story

In this short video posted by the Medical College of Wisconsin, Epiphany Gold, shares her experience with depression. As the pandemic started, Epiphany struggled with her mental health due to the isolation, losing her mom, and failing her nursing exams, something that had been an anchor for her. Epiphany shares how she no longer felt like she could continue to go on, not even for her child which was the sign that she needed to go therapy. She reflects how she feels therapy saved her as well as her life. This video engages with the topic of what it means to be in relation to others, specifically your child, while struggling with mental health. This video could be used to explore ways in which systems, or the lack thereof, of social support aid in the general well being of people, especially in regard to mental health.

Personal Stories of Mental Health

Black Dog Institute is a nonprofit organization dedicated to medical research related to mental health. This online collection houses 18 different stories related to mental health (including bipolar disorder, PTSD, anxiety, depression), each representing the lived experiences of those who wrote them. Each story has a short description. A majority of the stories are from patient perspectives while some of them are based around a provider narrative. Since the themes throughout the stories vary so much, this site could be utilized in any syllabus focused on mental health. Such stories show the personalizing of diagnoses as well as show variability in how they are experienced, which can help to expand the general notions and stereotypes that are held around mental health

A Body, Undone: Living on After Great Pain

“A Body, Undone” is a memoir by Christina Crosby, an English professor chronicling her life after a paralyzing cycling accident in 2003. A respected English professor at Wesleyan University, Crosby explores the physical and emotional pain of her disability through a critical feminist and queer thinking lens. She puts into words the experience of life in a broken body that seems beyond the reach of language and understanding, discussing how we construct a livable life in the midst of unimaginable pain. She situates her personal narrative within the broader social critiques of care labor and the financial burden of disability and injury within the current economic systems and structures in the US. The novel would be relevant to disability studies and feminist theory, but its prose that is rooted in humanity and the events of daily life function to make it accessible to a general audience . This book is a patient narrative that challenges the dominant discourse of disability, and could be relevant to discussions about disability, pain, and care and its intersections with gender, sexuality, and class.

States of Grace

The film States of Grace intimately captures the profound transformation of a revered physician and her family in the wake of a life-changing accident. Dr. Grace Dammann, a pioneering AIDS specialist and devout Buddhist who was honored by the Dalai Lama, was driving across the Golden Gate Bridge on her routine commute when another driver crashed head on into her car. After seven weeks in a coma and a dozen surgeries, Grace miraculously awoke with her cognitive abilities intact, though her body was left shattered. States of Grace follows her return home to where her partner Nancy “Fu” Schroeder becomes Grace’s primary caregiver, while also caring for their teenage daughter Sabrina, who was born with cerebral palsy. Grace, meanwhile, must reconcile her joy at still being alive with the frustration of being so dependent on others. Through verité footage and interviews with doctors, family, and friends, the film paints an inspiring portrait of devotion and trust as it delicately documents one woman’s fight to reinvent herself.

Through Grace and Fu’s story, this film explores many aspects of health studies, including the shift from provider to patient, role redefinition when a family member becomes a primary caregiver, the role that spirituality can play in healing, parenthood, and more.

Aliceheimer’s: Alzheimer’s Through the Looking Glass

This graphic memoir captures the author’s journey with her mother, Alice, who is diagnosed with dementia. Through a creative blend of writing, visual art, and comics, Walrath weaves elements from Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland throughout the text to explore the transformative power of storytelling in navigating the challenges of mental illness, loss, and social stigma. The memoir offers a unique perspective on aging and caregiving, emphasizing the healing potential of graphic narratives by speaking to how visual mediums can communicate more than, or differently from, written text. Collaged illustrations, made in part from Carroll’s text itself, are accompanied by a textual vignette. The combination of text and art results in a cohesive narrative that would lack the same depth and detail if considered in isolation. Graphic medicine, Walrath writes, “lets us better understand those who are hurting, feel their stories, and redraw and renegotiate those social boundaries.” Aliceheimer’s provides a way to introduce and educate people about Alzheimer’s as a medical condition, while highlighting the humanity involved in dealing with it as a family.

This novel could be used in classes regarding narrative medicine, graphic medicine, and/or caregiving experiences. It invites discussions on the role of storytelling in reshaping medical narratives, the impact of stigma on health, and the potential for creative expression in coping with complex health challenges. With Walrath’s background in Medical Anthropology, this book could also be used to ask how researchers personally connect to their work.

Caring for a Parent in my Home

This article describes Beth’s caregiving story as she cares for her elderly mother post-stroke. Beth’s journey captures the complexities, sacrifices, and resilience inherent in caregiving roles. The narrative explores familial dynamics, emotional strains, and the importance of planning and seeking external support. Beth’s evolving experience offers valuable lessons for educators seeking to illustrate the intersection of health, family dynamics, and personal well-being in caregiving narratives. Caregiver.com aims to provide community and support for nontraditional caregivers, such as children caring for their aging parents. As such, the story emphasizes the significance of communication, planning, and self-care.