Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Longevity.
Competitive Pain
Pain. Whether it’s emotional, mental or physical, pain has the ability to take over our entire existence. As one of the millions of people who suffer from chronic pain and a slew of other health issues I can tell you this: pain should never be a competition. It should be validated for the individual. But this is not the case. I’ve spent so much time reading comments on my social media from people who also struggle with their own health issues and pain. Instead of feeling validated from the pain I’ve expressed in a post, I am flooded with people talking about their own pain and how their own illnesses affect them. Suddenly my words are used to build others' cases and it becomes an unintentional competition. Just because we have different ailments doesn’t mean our pain is that much different — and no one will ever truly know or understand the pain one suffers. All you can do is validate it by saying, “I’m so sorry you are experiencing this. I am thinking of you.” In that comment I am not taking away from the pain the individual expressed and I’m not competing by stating all of my own pain issues that end up making the person feel unheard and frustrated. It isn’t a competition! I don’t need to hear all about your constant pains and ailments when I am already attempting to handle my own heaviness. When someone starts listing all the pain and things they can’t to as a response to a post I become frustrated. The point of my post was never to feel like my pain is "nothing compared to what others feel," but that’s what happens. I understand people think if they relate to others by listing everything they suffer with themselves as a way to try to make me or others “not feel alone,” but it does exactly the opposite. It makes me feel like I will never be sick enough for the appropriate validation. It makes me feel like their pain is more important than my own. It makes me feel like they don’t understand despite how they say they do, because they are so wrapped up in their own type of pain. But pain is subjective. It manifests in too many ways to know the exact form of it. To me, pain is pain. And I will always validate it when someone expresses it to me by never bringing my own issues up. I simply accept their pain and offer comforting words. There’s no need for me to go into depth about all the pain I am currently enduring because that person can only handle their own pain in the moment and it’s not fair of me to put it onto them. I never want to make people feel like they haven’t been heard. That’s one of the worst feelings, and it happens way too often in this life full of chronic illness and chronic pain. We are often overlooked in the medical field, and doctors can treat us with such disrespect it’s appalling. Of course, these are my personal experiences, but I know I’m not alone.
By Lauren Berichon8 years ago in Longevity
Overcoming Adversity as an Amputee in the Fitness Community
Tonight got me thinking of how far I have come in the fitness community. A gym patron asked me if he could film me on Snapchat as I was doing squats. At first I was confused a little, but he explained that because of my prosthetic leg I inspired him to show others that they should be doing the same and what's their excuse. I complied and did it, not because he asked, but because I inspired him and I didn't want to let him down. Why is that so important to me? Let me explain.
By Justin Crossland8 years ago in Longevity
The Crisis of Canadian Healthcare (Pt. 3)
So we've covered the waitlists and the wait times. We've covered the scarcity of family doctors and the strangeness of having specialists without them. But there is a phenomenon that occurs as a result of these things that many people don't really realise.
By Samantha Reid8 years ago in Longevity
It Only Takes a Moment
In 1995, located somewhere in a bitter, wintry town in Illinois, a young couple and their 9 year old son were about to have their second child. Following a standard C- section procedure, their seemingly healthy baby girl was delivered on November 21st at 9:30 am. After what seemed like an eternity of silence, she finally busted into an uncontrollable cry while being cleaned off and examined by the pediatrician. As if by instinct, her mother spoke words of love and compassion; resulting in the infant going silent, looking in the direction of a very familiar voice. Just like all newborns, she had a hole in her heart; one of the doctors announced to the parents his desire to crack open their baby's chest to fix the hole. Utterly horrified, her father kicked him out of the room, looking at his new baby worried about her health. Now, at the time, what they didn't realize is that approximately 75% of the hearts of babies heal themselves on their own, while the other 25% live on with the hole, exchanging blood between the two chambers of their hearts; often never experiencing any health complications. And so, with their baby girl, they brought her home on Thanksgiving day and celebrated the creation of a new life!
By emily green8 years ago in Longevity
Too Young, Yet Too Old
College is the best and worst time of your life. I'm not saying college sucks—because that is just a straight up lie. We have little to no responsibility, party at unacceptable times, and just have to really show up to class and sit there. The age frame is not always ideal at this time in our lives though. One second you are having the time of your life, but then the life haunting questions begin to pop into your mind making you slowly but surely want to cry and hide forever. All of a sudden you go from pregaming for a party and dancing to "Buy U A Drank," to having a panic attack in the bathroom four shots deep wondering what you are doing with your life. As a current 19-year-old in my sophomore year at college, I can honestly say that I have no clue what the rights and wrongs of this age are supposed to be. It shouldn't be confusing as hell, yet welcome to my world, ladies and gents! Let’s hope I’m not alone on this topic; I doubt I’m the only one.
By Carly Polay8 years ago in Longevity
High School Me
Dear High School Me, I still remember the day we met: I was 13 and I saw you standing behind me as I stared at myself in the mirror. You pointed out the fat in my stomach and the jiggle in my thighs with a frown. As I began to cry, you put your arm around me and whispered that it would all be OK if I followed your commands. Before long you had trained me well and weight began to fall off. I perfected the art of fooling my friends and family, mastering the phrases "I already ate," or "no thanks, I'm not hungry." The compliments of others and my new ability to fit into size zero jeans were only a bonus to the satisfaction that came with feeling as if I had total control. Sure, my stomach growled constantly and I didn't sleep anymore due to the constant pains, but I finally felt like I was doing something well.
By Brittany Stanton8 years ago in Longevity
Maria Menounos Tells Women To 'Put Themselves First' After She Exits E! News To Treat Brain Tumor
Maria Menounos had been an E! News anchor since 2015, but after stepping down to deal with a benign brain tumor, now removed, she's encouraging women to put themselves first and listen to their bodies.
By Rachel Carrington8 years ago in Longevity
The Crisis of Canadian Healthcare (Pt. 2)
Alright, after touching on waitlists and wait times in the last segment I wanted to address a specific aspect of this. There is a strange phenomenon in the Canadian healthcare system when it comes to family doctors and specialists.
By Samantha Reid8 years ago in Longevity
Demented
My great-grandmother has severe dementia and has over the last couple of years told some fabulously wild tales. Her stories both entertain us making us smile and sadden us as we watch her awareness slip more and more. In addition to hearing my grandmother’s stories I also got to hear some stories from the residents where I worked. Without naming people I decided it would be great to share some of the tales and bring a little light to something that is actually quite tragic. Most of the stories come from people who were very sharp and at one point extremely aware.
By Courtney Seever8 years ago in Longevity
The Crisis of Canadian Healthcare (Pt. 1)
Everyone is always going on and on about how lovely and wonderful and perfect the Canadian healthcare system is. However, most of the people who speak about our healthcare system have not really experienced it. All they know about it is the concept of "free" healthcare and that seems pretty appealing, I will give you that.
By Samantha Reid8 years ago in Longevity
Millennial with Invisible Illness
When you turn 21, your expectation is to get your "adult ID" and go to clubs and bars with your friends, drink on a Thursday even if you have to wake up at 5 AM the next day for work. Unfortunately, my reality, my 21st birthday, I was always exhausted, I fell asleep almost everywhere, my only dates were with doctors and the only mood modifying substance was the cocktail of 21 pills I was taking daily.
By Yessenia Ivone8 years ago in Longevity
Food to Feed a Village
The first time I saw this fruit, I wondered how hard it would be to hack it open and how it tastes. It's called jackfruit, and it's big! It is native to India and is related to figs. It's about the size of a human head, with a more oval shape. It has dull spikes all over its surface. Due to its size (up to 80 lbs!!) and high nutritional value, it has been called "the fruit that could eliminate world hunger." The seeds and flesh inside are edible. The three best nutritional qualities that stood out to me were the potassium (739 mg), vitamin C (37 percent) and B6 (25 percent) per serving, which is one cup of sliced fruit/seeds. There are 31g of sugar, but that is raw, plant based sugar, which is a lot healthier than processed sugar.
By Holly Leatherman8 years ago in Longevity
