Tag: Inspirational

Born a Miracle: The Story of a Man

phoebemd inspirational blog guest blogger

By Kevin Ishimwe | Featured Contributor

1994 was the year…
All odds stacked against me,
mother in agony
my future seemed so uncertain
she wondered if I will ever live
to tell my story.

Determined to pacify the fear
hovering my beloved country,
She found delight in the Most High
to get her through her darkest moments
clinging on to faith,
she followed the path set before her
to bring me into this world
by any means necessary.
Her dream realized, she called me
Miracle of the Most High.

So now I’m living my life
like I’m on the clock
Making the most
of every moment
Grateful for the purpose
laid out before me
Rising to every knock,
before my clock runs out
Like I’m on my last go around

Just to let her know that her birth pains were worth it.

◊

Continue reading “Born a Miracle: The Story of a Man” →

3

The Small Things: A Reminder for Today

PhoebeMD inspirational poetry blog

By Surakshya Kiju (Coco) | Featured Contributor

The small things in life aren’t really all that small.
They’re the things that make life real.
Takes your happiness to a whole new level.
Keeps you from feeling lost in an empty world.

We try so hard but we’re only human.
We can’t help it. We’re always on the run.
Always trying to meet expectations.
To label you as rose and not the thorn.

But when you find something that makes you forget it all;
A passion, a hobby or even alcohol
that pulls you through the tragedies that befall,
then how can you label that something as small?

Something that makes you live in the now.
Something you connect with without any vows.
Something that you think the world of.
Something that gives you meaning of love.

We only have one life. One chance to do it all. To do everything that we want, to enjoy living to the fullest. So why are we wasting it on the worries of tomorrow? Especially when we know that worrying isn’t gonna change anything at all. Most of the things we worry about end up not happening at all. All worrying about tomorrow does is steal away your present. So why don’t we live in the now instead and leave tomorrow’s worry for tomorrow?

Continue reading “The Small Things: A Reminder for Today” →

29

This Is Who I Am: A Glimpse into Jeremiah’s Story

PhoebeMD inspirational health blog bipolar faith

By Jeremiah Lin | Featured Contributor

I suffer from bipolar. Of the worst kind. Manic episodes. Severe psychosis. Deep delusions fully believing that I’m Jesus.

I will destroy my relationships. Make random connections with strangers. Come up with a million business plans to make a billion dollars. Empty my bank account and max out credit cards to “help” others. Give away all my earthly possessions. Isn’t that what Jesus would do?

I’ve made myself homeless. I’ve ended up in numerous mental hospitals. Had far too many run-ins with police officers. Most people, including cops, don’t understand the symptoms of mania. That makes me a perceived threat. Dozens of arrests. Spent several years of my life behind bars. Several times I’ve been brutalized by law enforcement. This last time nearly cost my life.

Continue reading “This Is Who I Am: A Glimpse into Jeremiah’s Story” →

24

You Are Strong

phoebemd poetry inspiration strength poem

By Hanna | Featured Contributor

Sometimes Strong Is:

Taking a break
Having a cry
Listening to your body
Holding your tongue
Asking for help
Saying you can’t
Getting out of bed
Turning around
Feeling grateful
Feeling scared
Feeling helpless
Slowing down
Being mindful
Not knowing
Trusting
Loving with your whole heart
Wanting with your whole heart
Breathing through the pain
Just being here
Existing.

•

My dear reader, thank you for reading! I do hope you enjoyed. I wrote this poem for myself when I was in a lot of pain, but really this poem is for you. Let me explain…

Continue reading “You Are Strong” →

45

The Broken Mind: Living with Bipolar Disorder

PhoebeMD health blog bipolar disorder

By Dre from Jerz | Featured Contributor

As a man in his early 40’s, coping with bipolar disorder and manic depression has been a major struggle. But through an open understanding and a willingness to learn, mental health issues can become manageable.

It all started in my late twenties. I was sitting on my twin-sized bed listening to one of my favorite hip hop CD’s. After a breakup with a young lady at the time and in between menial jobs, my mind was in a fragile state. I would play this particular CD on repeat from evening to morning. Not realizing it at the time, but internally I had snapped to the point my brainwaves shifted into an altered phase.

Continue reading “The Broken Mind: Living with Bipolar Disorder” →

16

Why Dating a Woman With a Chronic Illness Is the Best Decision Your Heart Can Make

PhoebeMD Health Blog Dating Chronic Illness

By Klyn Elsbury | Featured Contributor

I can have a conversation with you about your stressful day while infusing antibiotics straight into my heart through a port-a-cath. I pay attention to your every word when nausea kicks in, asking intelligent follow-up questions, and when you’re relaxed after your stressful day, just ask that you hold my hand. Bonus points if you can bring me a Starbucks en route to the hospital.

I am 32-years-old and have been hospitalized 67 times, ranging in length from one day to six months. The diagnosis is cystic fibrosis and diabetes. The prognosis? Nobody really knows.

I am happily engaged to a healthy man. In fact, he’s so healthy I don’t know if in five years I’ve seen him eat a vegetable that I didn’t force him into. And yet, dating was extremely difficult for me as I grappled with questions on when to tell him about my condition, navigating extended hospitalizations, and yes, even losing my bowels without warning one night.

It’s not uncommon for those with chronic illnesses to be shunned from the dating community. Many have given up entirely and left to feel like ‘used goods’. Even as I researched the article, polling my friends with chronic illnesses, many were reluctant to share their names because if a guy on an app googled them, they would face rejection before they felt it was time to disclose. And I couldn’t help but remember what it was like for me the moment the hot guy I was getting to know decided to type my name into Google, and decided if he was up for the adventure.

Our love story lasts and here are five other reasons that if you’ve been given the news or been contemplating taking the next step with someone with a chronic condition, to give it a go!

Continue reading “Why Dating a Woman With a Chronic Illness Is the Best Decision Your Heart Can Make” →

17

Thirteen Years of Training For A Pandemic

PhoebeMD Blog COVID Health Heart Transplant

By Don P. | Guest Contributor

On April 28, 2007, my life as I knew it came to an abrupt halt and turned 180 degrees. I had a massive heart attack that day, and a triple bypass surgery the following day. To really make my story special, I then flat-lined over a hundred times during the next twelve or so days, and followed that with a very high drama heart transplant and a five day stint on ECMO (Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) and was conscious (to a degree) while on a ventilator—the single worst memory in my lifetime. (ECMO is a machine that is basically an artificial lung to oxygenate your blood while your lungs rest/heal).

A week after my heart transplant, I regained consciousness and started to rebuild my body and my life, and unbeknownst to me, I was placed in training for this coronavirus pandemic…

Continue reading “Thirteen Years of Training For A Pandemic” →

9

Get Your Poetry Featured on PhoebeMD!

Do you write poetry and have an encouraging or uplifting poem to share? Would you like to inspire the PhoebeMD community while broadening your own blog readership?

If so, I welcome you to submit your poem to be considered for publication.

Continue reading “Get Your Poetry Featured on PhoebeMD!” →

2

A Physician’s Plea.

A message rekindled for the caregivers of today…

A medical student. A simple question.

“How am I supposed to go on caring?”

At the time, suggestions abound.
Work-life balance. Self-care. Hobbies.
Remembering our initial calling.
Remembering we still make a difference.
Remembering our love for medicine
and the privilege we have as caregivers.

But then the realization-
I don’t know the answer.

I only know that I have witnessed around me-
at every stage of training and practice-
evidence of emotional exhaustion.
Dissatisfaction.
Disillusionment.

Burnout.

So this is my plea…

Continue reading “A Physician’s Plea.” →

70

Let Kindness Shine Today

I shall pass through this world but once.
Any good therefore that I can do or
any kindness that I can show
to any human being,
let me do it now.

Let me not defer or neglect it,
for I shall not pass this way again.

-Étienne de Grellet

◊

May we be a candle in the night…
especially through the dimmer days.
💙

 

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Fire & Ice: The Faces of Grief

By Barbara Leonhard, Featured Contributor

Robert Frost once wrote:

Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

Online, one can find many poets who sing about their grief. In this lyrical piece, Frost tells us that we face changes all the time. Eden, our paradise, has been lost. Life is temporary, terminal, and short lived. The sun both rises and falls; the seasons change, and we grieve.

Continue reading “Fire & Ice: The Faces of Grief” →

22

A Promise for Today

 

“Waking up this morning,
I smile.

Twenty-four brand new hours are before me.

I vow
to live fully
in each moment
and to look at all beings 
with eyes of compassion.”

-Thich Nhat Hanh

◊

May we treasure each new day, and may your day be beautiful. 💜

 

14

A Simple Act of Kindness

 

“Too often we underestimate
the power of
a touch,
a smile,
a kind word,
a listening ear,
an honest compliment,
or the smallest act of caring,
all of which have the potential
to turn a life around.”

-Leo Buscaglia

◊

May we each let our compassion be a candle in the night. 💙

 

30

Want to Be Featured on PhoebeMD?

Do you have an inspiring health-related story or have a lot of health and wellness knowledge to share? Do you want to increase your exposure and expand your readership? If so, you might be exactly what PhoebeMD.com is looking for!

PhoebeMD is currently opening its blog to submissions from Health & Wellness contributors—specifically, to feature 1) informative articles on the topic of health and wellness, and 2) empowering stories about personal health journeys.

If you are interested in being featured, click here to learn more.

You Are An Everyday Angel

 

“We can’t heal the world today,
but we can begin with
a voice of compassion,
a heart of love,
and an act of kindness.”

-Mary Davis

◊

Wishing everyone a beautiful week. May we never lose the simple joy of helping others. 💙

 

11

Come Share Your Blog [closed]

Dear Friends,

Over the next few days, I again open up PhoebeMD.com for another Meet & Greet event. Remember, this is your moment to shine! This is a time for you all to come together to share your blogs and favorite posts, make new connections, and broaden your blog audiences.

The guidelines, like always, are simple…

Continue reading “Come Share Your Blog [closed]” →

Children’s Heart Project ❤️

Dear friends,

Over the next month, Pendants for a Cause will be focusing its proceeds on Children’s Heart Project, an initiative to help children with cardiac issues obtain life-saving heart operations.

If you have a burden for this cause, I encourage you to browse our pendant selection to see if anything interests you. Remember, every penny from every sale goes to supporting the cause.

smallwordsfr

Wishing everyone a lovely weekend.

With love, 
Phoebe 💙

9

Meet & Greet [closed]

Dear Friends,

Happy Saturday! I love that you all are enjoying these “Meet & Greet” events and finding them beneficial and fun. Therefore, today I again open up PhoebeMD.com for you all to share your posts, make new connections, and broaden your blog audiences.

The guidelines, like always, are simple…

Continue reading “Meet & Greet [closed]” →

Let Us Shine Today

 

“If I were a sunbeam,
I know what I’d do;
I would seek white lilies,
Roaming woodlands through.
I would steal among them,
Softest light I’d shed,
Until every lily
Raised its drooping head.”

–Alice Cary

 

Let us all shine a little upon others today. 💙

 

18

Meet & Greet [closed]

Dear Friends,

One of the things I have come to love about blogging is seeing you all make connections with each other during our Meet & Greet days. Therefore, I would like to give you all more opportunities to promote your blogs on PhoebeMD.com – while adding some creativity to the process.

Therefore, here are the guidelines for today…

Continue reading “Meet & Greet [closed]” →

Being Thankful.

 

• Faux Cap, Southern Madagascar •

Taken around Thanksgiving time, these girls were part of the dear family I lived with during my time in Madagascar. Although they didn’t seem to have a lot, they were always joyful and thankful, and seeing this photo reminds me again that we should not be any different.

Wishing everyone in the States a wonderful Thanksgiving week!

💙

29

How to Stay Motivated

By Phoebe Chi, MD, MPH

Do you ever find yourself losing interest in something you know is good for you? Maybe you took a healthy living course and for a while you were gung ho to make changes in your life…but then the determination faded — and you found yourself going back to your old, bad health habits.

If you do…you are not alone.

The key to continuing down the path towards better health and wellness (or whatever goal you have set for yourself) is to keep a positive mindset and to not allow yourself to get discouraged–even when you experience a setback. Not sure how to maintain your motivation? Read on–this guide will give you some practical tips on how to do just that.

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Continue reading “How to Stay Motivated” →

53

Taking Control of Stress

Now that I’ve discussed how harmful chronic stress is to your health…what can you do about it? The very necessary next step (after recognizing what is causing your stress) is to make the decision to take control of it. To decide to take control means that you are determined to start making positive, proactive changes in your life to effectively manage your stress—as opposed to allowing yourself to feel like a victim to it and merely trying to cope with it. This difference in mindset can make a significant difference—the difference between feeling like you’re keeping pace while staying ahead in a race as opposed to lagging behind trying to catch up.

So really, what does this all mean? This post will introduce the most practical way to start taking control of your stress: by practicing the “4 A’s.”

Feeling stressed out right now? Take a few seconds to do one of these quick relaxation techniques.

******************

Continue reading “Taking Control of Stress” →

15

Simple Moments.

Meet little Mialy, Mia, and their father…known simply as Baba. They—along with 15 other siblings—made up my host family during a time spent in the arid region of southern Madagascar, where I was doing research on the Antandroy communities. 

I often think back to this family with bittersweet fondness. When I was there, I was profoundly inspired by their love for life and their appreciation of the simple joys it brings…while endlessly cheered by their wide grins and generous laughter.

But now, when I glance at this photo, their visage seems to reveal a truth much deeper…and my heart aches a little. 

Nevertheless, the sound of their laughter will remain with me forever, and I am thankful to have met them…and grateful for the lessons they taught me in treasuring the simple moments in life. 

ambarofamilyl

•

26

Dawning.

Snowflakes.
Fading upon blushed flesh,
its rivulets a frame
sketched for the captive soul.
Gaze glimmering, hope dissolving,
an echo to the void of twilight’s end.
She longs to be released.

A breath divine.
An oasis to a threadbare wish
sculpts bittersweetness
into frosted air.
Embraced by light,
she follows the seraph’s call
and is freed.

•

 

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