Laurie Edwards is een auteur die zich verdiept in de realiteit van chronische ziekten en de impact ervan op het leven van jongvolwassenen. Als gezondheidsjournalist creëert ze persoonlijke essays en artikelen voor diverse prestigieuze publicaties, waarbij ze diepgaande thema's van de menselijke ervaring onderzoekt. Haar werk kenmerkt zich door rauwe eerlijkheid en een scherpzinnige analyse van kwetsbaarheid en kracht te midden van langdurige gezondheidsuitdagingen. Edwards' schrijven bevordert een beter begrip en meer empathie voor degenen die leven met chronische aandoeningen.
Outlines advice about how to take a pro-active role in managing chronic illness, citing a rise in patients with chronic illness who might not have survived in earlier historical periods while sharing advice on such topics as interacting with medical professionals and having a career that makes room for health needs.
Thirty years ago, Susan Sontag famously wrote, “Everyone who is born holds dual citizenship, in the kingdom of the well and the kingdom of the sick . . . Sooner or later each of us is obliged, at least for a spell, to identify ourselves as citizens of that other place.” More than 133 million Americans now live with chronic illness, accounting for nearly three quarters of all health care dollars and untold pain, disability, and heartbreak. Patients with diseases as varied as HIV, cancer, or type 2 diabetes have been stigmatized, accused of causing their preventable illnesses through their lifestyle choices. People with irritable bowel syndrome and female patients with chronic fatigue syndrome have been told their symptoms were due to anxiety; and millions of people with chronic pain have faced skepticism from physicians and the public alike. What The Noonday Demon did for people suffering from depression, Laurie Edwards does for those who are chronically ill, championing their cause and giving voice to their lament.