article about Julie Laffin published in today’s Metro section
Julie Laffin, a Chicago-based performance artist who has transformed her work as a result of becoming severely chemically sensitive, has been featured (click here for the condensed online version of the article) in the Metro section of the Chicago Tribune. Tribune reporter Alejandra Cancino writes of the struggle and losses Laffin and her husband Andy Cook have had to endure due to the illness, and how Laffin has been able to evolve her work to accommodate her illness — and at the same time, help to educate others about it.
The article is compassionate and positive and does nothing to detract from the serious physiological nature of the illness, as most mainstream media has felt the need to do in past articles featuring chemical sensitivity. Bravo to Laffin, Cancino and The Chicago Tribune for presenting an inspiring account of one woman’s struggle to overcome a serious and severely isolating disability.
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Earthwalker is the username that PT founder Julie Genser created for her online interactions so many years ago when first creating Planet Thrive.
Julie's (Earthwalker's) life was derailed over twenty years ago when she had a very large organic mercury exposure after she naively used a mouth thermometer to measure the temperature of just-boiled milk while making her very first pizza at home. The mercury instantly expanded into a gas form and exploded out the back of the thermometer right into her face. Unaware that mercury was the third most neurotoxic element on Earth, Julie had no idea she had just received a very high dose of a poisonous substance.
A series of subsequent toxic exposures over the next few years -- to smoke from two fires (including 9/11), toxic mold, lyme disease, and chemical injuries -- caused catastrophic damage to her health. While figuring out how to survive day-to-day, and often minute-to-minute, she created Planet Thrive to help others avoid some of the misdiagnoses and struggles she had experienced.
She has clawed her way over many health mountains to get to where she is today. She is excited to bring the latest iteration of Planet Thrive to the chronic illness community.
In 2019, Julie published her very first cookbook e-book called Low Lectin Lunches (+ Dinners, Too!) after discovering how a low lectin, gluten free diet was helping manage her chronic fascia/muscle pain.
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Julie,
Just reading the news and found Arthur in Santa Fe. I have suffered for over 20 years and had an auto accident 12 years ago leaving be completely disabled. Thank you for your beauty and compassion to Arthur. I think we saw in the responses the atypical responses. May we dialogue? What is this contest to enter in Chicago? I am in the Rocky Mountains and need to come to Chicago & meet w/Dystonia Foundation.
One thing I have learned is everyone’s responses are different. Just like races, we need to respect those differences. I applaud Arthur and know what he has been experiencing. I don’t chose to banter with silliness – that energy conservation we all mandate.
The best to you,
IV
This my dear Julie is wonderful that they did such an indepth artical on you. I can only hope it touched many others to where they opened their eyes and saw this illness existed if they didn’t know about it (which most haven’t) and how it changes lives, yours in this case! It was great you put yourself out there like that!