Raising a child with chronic illness – a blessing in disguise.
Parenting a child with chronic illness requires more strength, resolve, perseverance and courage than we likely ever dreamed possible, yet it also blesses us with the gifts of compassion, perspective, presence, and profound love as we are daily drawn closer to Christ.
Chronic Joy Ministry offers awareness materials for chronic illness, which highlight the significant impact of illness on every aspect of life – parenting, marriage, family, faith, finances, friendships, education, hobbies and work.
FREE printable Chronic Illness Awareness Fact Sheet creates awareness, grows knowledge and supports education in a quick and easy format with those in your sphere of influence – friends, family, churches, small group communities, co-workers and neighbors.
The DID YOU KNOW? Awareness Campaign features images posted across our social media platforms – Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and even Linkedin. LIKE or FOLLOW Chronic Joy to see us in your feed, then like and share the images to increase awareness.
Begin the conversation with the question, DID YOU KNOW?
And you will be changing the landscape for children affected by chronic physical and/or mental illness.
Because the statistics show that either you or someone you love is affected by chronic illness – far more people than most realize.
Together, as we raise awareness, increase knowledge, and utilize educational materials tailored for all who are affected by chronic illness reminding each other and ourselves that while chronic illness is hard, there is hope.
There is always hope.
DID YOU KNOW?
Chronic Illness
Chronic Illness affects 42% of children1, Approximately 32 million children (aged 0-17 years) in the US.2
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- 29 % have two or more chronic conditions.1
- About 25% of children in the US aged 2 to 8 years have a chronic health condition.3
Approximately 50% of people affected by rare disease are children.4
30% of children with rare disease don’t see their fifth birthday.4
Mental Illness
Almost 50% of teens in the US have a mental disorder. 5
Mental illness globally impacts 16 % of adolescents aged 10-19 years. 6
1 in 6 U.S. children aged 2-8 years (17.4%) are diagnosed with a mental, behavioral, or developmental disorder.7
Globally, depression is one of the leading causes of illness and disability among adolescents. 4
Suicide is the third leading cause of death of young people aged 15–19 years. 6, 8
50% of all chronic mental illness begins by age 14 and 75% by age 24. 7
Almost half of adolescents with mental health issues do not receive any mental health services.9
Click here for detailed statistics.
Featured Books
Comfort: Inspirations for Parents of Chronically Ill Children,
Kathy Hardy
This sensitive, honest, and heartfelt devotional doesn’t pull any punches. It encounters all aspects of raising a chronically ill child and helps others understand the day-to-day struggles and joys. It is eight weeks of reality: the good, the bad, and the ugly. At the end of each week of devotions, you’ll find a short chapter of Kathy’s family’s continuing story of raising their eight children, three of whom have Cystic Fibrosis (CF). This book will touch you. It will make you laugh, cry, and feel less alone. You will feel understood and know that your journey is shared by others who experience similar emotions. You can give this book to family members and friends whom you feel lack understanding of your family’s dynamics. You will feel comforted to know that God and others walk this difficult path along with you.
The Life We Never Expected: Hopeful Reflections on the Challenges of Parenting Children with Special Needs
Andrew Wilson, et al.
Sometimes life throws you a curveball. Andrew and Rachel Wilson know what it means to live a life they never expected. As the parents of two children with special needs, their story mingles deep pain with deep joy in unexpected places. With raw honesty, they share about the challenges they face on a daily basis—all the while teaching what it means to weep, worship, wait, and hope in the Lord. Offering encouragement rooted in God’s Word, this book will help you cling to Jesus and fight for joy when faced with a life you never expected.
Different Dream Parenting: A Practical Guide to Raising a Child with Special Needs
Jolene Philo
Parenting can be difficult and tiring, especially when you have a special needs child with medical, behavioral, or educational issues. In Different Dream Parenting, author Jolene Philo offers guidance and encouragement through biblical insights and her own personal experiences. Find spiritual wisdom, practical resources, and tools that can help you become an extraordinary advocate for your child. Discover how you can move beyond the challenges and experience the joy of being your child’s biggest and best supporter.
A Different Dream for My Child: Meditations for Parents of Critically or Chronically Ill Children
Jolene Philo
For years, Jolene Philo’s son was hospitalized many times as he battled a life-threatening birth defect. Far from home, without friends and family to support them, Jolene and her husband felt utterly and completely alone. Today, support networks for parents of critically or chronically ill children have improved, but most only provide for urgent physical needs. The devotional meditations in this book address the spiritual needs of these parents as the author shares her own life lessons, as well as those of other parents who have walked this road. No matter how difficult the road, Philo says, you do not have to lose hope.
Blog Posts
What It’s Like to Be a Mother of a Chronically Ill Child
Motherhood, special needs, and the beauty of everyday messes. These diagnoses feel so heavy. At times, I have found some words. I have been able to open up about little things that happen, to my friends and my husband. It feels good to admit it. This is real. He is actually chronically ill....
Dear Chronically Ill Parent
A Letter to the Parents Who are Chronically Ill - You are Not a Failure My mum has a chronic illness. She’s been sick for as long as I can remember. Mum, this letter is for you. Dear Parent with a Chronic Illness, You don’t have to say it aloud. I’ve read it in your sighs, your looks, your...
How Can You Tell When Someone Is Suicidal?
Depression that leads to suicide isn’t just the plight of the financially-strapped, unemployed provider of a household, or the teen who’s tormented by bullies, or the retiree who’s weary of declining energy and escalating physical pain. Just ask the friends of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain....
Burden-Bearing
Burden-Bearing The healing power of inviting yourself into someone’s pain. A number of years ago when my oldest was getting ready to leave for college, my youngest, who had shared her room since she was born, was counting down the days of her departure. She was going to be...
Field Notes of Pain – Jesus, A Pain Pioneer
This is part two in a two-part series entitled: Field Notes of Pain ….. There was this youth group kid that whittled. You know, the art of taking a piece of wood and turning it into a troll or something. He did that. And he was good. I was fascinated - first, that a high school boy liked to...
The Hidden Labor of Disability
Resources
ARTICLES
To Those Caring for Sick Children, Lexi Behrndt
“You are heroes. You are angels. You get to see miracles happen daily at your job. You get to see little lives come back after catastrophe and devastation, and you watch as they heal and grow and smile again.
And then sometimes you don’t.”
To the Momma of a Critically and Chronically Ill Child, Lexi Behrndt
“You are brave. You are strong. You are loving. You fight for your children when they can’t fight for themselves. You hope for them and you stay positive for them, and then run to the bathroom just to cry in the stall where they can’t see. You research and talk to doctors and talk to other parents to find the best possible treatment plans and solutions to give the best life to your child…You go to the places no one wants to go. You know a side of the world that most would like to pretend doesn’t exist.”
Parenting Through Chronic Illness, Rachelle Wiggins
“For the past decade, God has allowed me the gracious trial of raising my children from the bed of chronic illness. The learning curve was steep: I battled against the desire to be more and do more while living within the limitations of a broken body. Over time, I recognized a few principles that helped me survive — and still be a good parent — during the storm of ongoing illness.”
VIDEO
Welcome to Holland, Emily Perl Kingsly
Trying to describe being the parent of a child with a disability or chronic illness can be very challenging. This short video offers a beautiful and creative explanation.
“The loss of that dream [a well child] is a very significant loss, but if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn’t get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things about Holland.”
Even More
GRIT - STRENGTH OF CHARACTER
“In order to cultivate gratitude in kids who are sick, the focus must be on allowing them to tell their own #story, creating a safe space for them to share, and creating opportunities to highlight the blessings and strengths around them.” DiggingDeep.org
MY CHILDREN'S PAIN
“There is a purpose to suffering,” says Timothy Keller, “and if faced rightly, it can drive us like a nail deep into the love of God and into more stability and spiritual power than you can imagine.”
CHILDREN COMMUTE BETWEEN WORLDS
“Children living with illness inhabit two worlds: the medical world and the wider world of “normal.” Most of the time children ‘commute’ between these worlds, an extraordinary challenge.” DiggingDeep.org
INTERVIEWS
SHARING LIFE, DISCOVERING HOPE AND A FEW FUNNY MOMENTS