Did you know? – May 2010 is Lyme Disease Awareness month as well as MCS Awareness month. For those of you already painfully aware of what lyme disease and/or chemical sensitivity are, this May is a chance for you to share your own personal story of how these chronic conditions have affected your life to help spread awareness to those who may have very little knowledge about these devastating illnesses.

Planet Thrive is accepting story submissions (both written and video) for our blog, thrive! Journal. We especially seek stories that describe how MCS and/or lyme disease have impacted people’s lives – the hardships and day-to-day challenges – as well as the magical lessons learned and personal growth encountered due to the illness. We’ll be accepting submissions from now through May 23. Submit your story through our contact form or send to us at [email protected]. Submissions should be between 500-1,000 words.

Ashley van Tol of Lymenaide asks her readers to Paint May Lyme Green:

Can you believe that is is less than 4 weeks until May? Time is going so fast!

This week we are asking everyone to focus on telling their story and getting them online somewhere and somehow.

Individually our stories may seem insignificant but every story that we add to the May campaign makes the impact that much stronger. Imagine the impact of 1000’s of people all sharing their Lyme stories on May 1st. Move over doppelganger week and watch out twitter trending topics – Lyme is the theme of the month.

How To Make This Happen
SEE SAMPLES AND GUIDELINES

Video
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• Upload your video story to YouTube. CLICK HERE TO SEE A SAMPLE.
• You can also film and upload your story straight to your Facebook profile.
• If you don’t have or want to create your own YouTube channel you can upload your story to [email protected]

Written-

• If your Lyme story isn’t already online, get it posted somewhere.
• Post as a note on your facebook profile.
• Many blogs have a section for your stories. LYMENAIDE.COM and LYMEBITES.COM will both post your written submissions.
• Include a photo, this makes your story more real and personal.

On May 1st we will all post a link to our Lyme stories, video or written, on our Facebook, Myspace, blog, Twitter, etc. profiles. Ask everyone you know to read/watch your story and share it with everyone they know to help spread awareness.

If you aren’t comfortable with posting your own story, LYMENAIDE YOUTUBE has a collection of news stories from across the country and the around the world. Post one of these that is most relevant to your community.

Don’t stop with May 1st. Continue to post articles, videos and stories throughout May. Encourage the people you know to learn about Lyme and to help you spread awareness to their friends and family. This is important.

I personally know of 2 people who were diagnosed because of what I posted on Lymenaide and Facebook. They had been sick for a long time and didn’t know what was wrong, of course the doctors were telling them they were fine. Because of me and the information I shared they are now properly diagnosed and being treated.

You will make a difference in someone’s life by participating in this project. Whether it is someone you know or someone they know who is suffering, your story could be the turning point in their health journey.

Mokihana of Vardo for Two is hosting The Canary Caravan, a blogger’s carnival, in mid-May to celebrate MCS awareness month.

She writes:

Here’s the idea …

• Friday, May 14, Saturday, May 15 and Sunday, May 16 are CANARY CARAVAN Days. it’s a time to circle the wagons and come to tell our stories. We who live with the affects of Multiple Chemical Sensitivities are as similar and different as the shades of yellow, or the hues of the color blue; there are so many shades of yellow or blue (or green or purple) and what we know comes from who we are at the core. Posts by bloggers with links or related articles will appear on VardoForTwo on these three days. Written to inspire and offer space for the incredibly rich and creative expressions of our lives I hope to circle the wagons for a time of collective strength.




• I will be chatting behind the scenes with my blogger friends who live and thrive with the realities of a life affected by MCS, hoping to enlist the help of two other bloggers who will also post CANARY CARAVAN stories on their blogs. Even as I write this to the page, all is not firmly in place so if you have ideas or thoughts please leave me comments or email me at [email protected]. This is a totally new project for me so please join in.




• There may be categories of stories over the three days of CANARY CARAVAN. I’m thinking:

  1. Poetry and Prose: Words and images poems, a photo essay or short story that reflect your life with MCS.
  2. Tools and Practices: Stories about the medical, physical, emotional and spiritual supportive practices that aid and create foundations for an evolving life.

What other categories would you like to see at the CANARY CARAVAN?

We have six weeks to put together some really fun and inspiring blogging that can educate, infuse and make a difference. If you’re interested or curious let me know in the comments or email.

Share your story, and help spread awareness in May!!