Some of you may be wondering: what’s with the thrive! journal header imagery? It has a very hippie-esque back-to-the land aesthetic to it. Why did you choose to use this visual to represent your website?

The brutal truth is this: it was not so much a choice, inasmuch as people suffering from chemical injury may not have much of a choice in where they can live, how they dress, and how they look. The header collage for this blog represents my life, as founder of the website and person living with severe chemical, electrical, and other sensitivities.

I was forced to leave my formerly comfortable suburban neighborhoods in search of cell tower-, WiFi-, and chemical-free living spaces. This is what it looks like. I am unable to get a haircut, as I can’t be near a chemical-laden hair stylist for the 20 minutes or so it would take to get a badly needed trim. My boyfriend can only manage to shave his facial hair every two weeks, and he must do so without the aid of soap/shaving cream or lotions to protect his skin. Some of us must live in refurbished Airstream trailers in the middle of nowhere just to have a clear head the whole day through. My best friend (far left) is at peace only in the high desert where she can escape her neighbors’ fabric softeners and pesticides which cause severe neurological symptoms that wake her up in the middle of the night.

These are the realities of living with chemical injury. We have no choice but to live with it, manage it, and learn how to thrive in spite of it. I could have used a more socially acceptable visual for this blog, but part of our mission is to make this condition more visible. We are people who are rarely seen in public, some of us relegated to the “safety” of our homes for years with little direct human contact.

The personal is now political. The collage at the top of this page reflects parts of my life and the world I have created through years of effort. I’ve worked long and hard to seek out and surround myself with amazingly supportive people, and live in an environment that adds to my health rather than detracts.

I dream of living close to nature surrounded by these friends, who have become family. I dream of a world where we can all live to our greatest potential rather than be limited by other people’s personal care habits. This is my dream. What is yours?