ChronicIllnessCommunity
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The hum of lines
I wrote a poem this week called The Hum of Lines. It is not a bright poem. It sits in the quiet room. It listens to the machine. It hears the slow, steady movement of blood through borrowed pathways. Dialysis has a soundscape. The hum of the pump. The soft alarms. The rhythm that is… Continue reading
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Andrew, this is you.
Some love stories are written in grand gestures. Ours has been written in endurance. This Valentine’s Day, I honour fifteen years of partnership with Andrew—and ten years of civil marriage later this year—not because the dates fall now, but because love that has lived this much deserves to be named whenever the heart nudges. Our… Continue reading
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Machines. Mercy. Meaning.
In the long, measured hours of dialysis, I began to notice how healing is carried not only by machines and medicine, but by the people who sit beside us, the families who steady us, and the landscape we carry within. This hymn‑poem grew from that stillness—a way of naming the courage found in ordinary care,… Continue reading
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Trust. Table. Calm.
A hymn of fear met with trust, bread shared in fellowship, and storms stilled by Christ. Continue reading
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Seeds. Scars. Solidarity.
In the grain of wheat, in the dialysis chair, in the scars of memory — prayer becomes fruit. Continue reading
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Known. Warned. Sent.
A Friday reflection where Psalm, Prophet, and Gospel weave together—reminding us we are searched, cautioned, and commissioned, even in the waiting chair. Continue reading
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Silence. Trust. Rest.
After Compline, silence is not emptiness but communion—fertile ground where trust deepens and rest becomes prayer. On this Thursday of reprieve, I let quiet be my healing. Continue reading
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Cold. Dialysis. Light.
On a bitter November morning, the Rule’s wisdom meets the hum of the dialysis machine. Even in the cold, daylight becomes mercy, and faith becomes rhythm. Continue reading
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Measure. Mercy. Murmuring.
Even in weakness, the portion given can be enough—if blessed without murmuring. Continue reading
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Measure. Mercy. Joy.
In the hum of the machine and the weight of bread, grace is found in sufficiency. Continue reading
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Refuge. Exile. Return.
A quiet reflection on finding God in dialysis chairs, disrupted routines, and the sacred margins of life. When the world feels too loud, this is a space to breathe. Continue reading
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Bank Holiday Blues
When the timetable shifts, so does the soul. A reflection on dialysis, delays, and small mercies. Continue reading
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Rain. Silence. Mercy.
When silence becomes praise and mercy meets the rain-soaked soil, even the overlooked find their place in the liturgy of being seen. This week’s reflection honours the quiet dignity of showing up—without performance, without apology. Continue reading
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Golden Arches, Gentle Mercies
There’s a kind of liturgy in the McDonald’s breakfast queue. The same greeting. The same menu. The same McMuffin, wrapped like a small gift of consistency. For someone who lives with autism—and the rhythms of dialysis—that sameness is not dull. It’s dignifying. Before treatment, when the body braces and the spirit steadies, a McMuffin becomes… Continue reading
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Mercy, not triumph
A quiet reflection on one pain-free night, naming grace in its fleetingness and giving thanks for small mercies. Continue reading
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Forget, Feel, Forgive
The gentle rhythm of neurodivergent self-care. A second night, and the twinge in my left side is back. Familiar now. Not dramatic, not alarming—just a quiet ache that reminds me I forgot the preventative paracetamol. Again. It’s strange how the body keeps score, even when the mind is busy with liturgies, logistics, and late-night thoughts.… Continue reading
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Sacred Rhythms of Humility
Creation Speaks and Law Revives Psalm 19 greets us like an Irish dawn—each mountain and breeze declaring God’s handiwork. As someone on the autism spectrum and a dialysis patient, I find solace in repetition: the sunrise, the steady hum of the machine, the gentle lilt of birdsong. Like the psalmist, I delight in precepts that… Continue reading
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🩺 Today’s Journey: A Vascular Scan with Sensory Sensitivity in Mind
Today I’m having a vascular scan to find a new AV fistula site—navigating sensory challenges with autism to ensure comfort and clear communication. Continue reading
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Finding Community in a Dialysis Unit: A Journey of Connection and Resilience
I never expected to find friendship in a dialysis unit, but over time, the faces around me became familiar, then comforting. We share more than treatment—we share stories, laughter, and strength. In this unlikely space, I found a community that reminds me I’m not alone in this journey. Continue reading
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Exploring Ireland by Rail: A Journey from Monasterevin with Heart and Hope
Living with kidney failure, I’ve found healing and freedom through Ireland’s Free Travel Pass. My rail journeys from Monasterevin to distant corners of the country have become more than travel—they’re moments of reflection, connection, and quiet joy. Each trip remindme that life beynd limitations is still full of wonder. Continue reading
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