Message from Jamie Holloway
For eleven years I have been learning to live well with chronic illness. It hasn’t been perfect. I haven’t always been successful at achieving my goals. It has been a chaotic, messy, learning experience that has made my life adventurous. I have learned a lot about how complicated, dangerous & even emotionally, spiritually & mentally draining living with several diagnoses is.
I am asked by my many doctors, nurses, caregivers, friends, family, strangers & store clerks how I have maintained my good attitude despite the many medical adventures, I have lived through, that might have left me feeling bitter, angry, broken & unforgiving. All I can say is, I made decisions & I followed through. One decision was to fight for me. Jesus fought for me so why shouldn’t I?
I also realized, I didn’t want my crawl through lifelong sickness, just for my own benefit. I wanted to be a wellness advocate & help those who are in the same predicament. I wanted to be one of the helpers that Mr. Roger’s speaks about. I do this by reminding myself that my attitude can help me navigate through the dark channels of chronic illness.
I am determined to say thank you to the doctors, nurses, caregivers, anyone who helps me. Showing gratitude reminds you that your life is not over just because you are sick. I say thank you & I mean it. I also decided that I didn’t want to become idle. I want to actually accomplish something, so I started writing.
I believe communicating my pain, needs, & being willing to listen as part of communication allows me to be able to be in a good relationship with my team. I have a good support system of family, friends, doctors, nurses, & caregivers who allow me to achieve many of the goals I have made. I am able to live in my home & able to keep on breathing, writing, reading & loving on my boy, Nicholas.
Since 2017 I have been an owner of Wellness Works NW. I serve as the Research Manager. I am a lead writer & my column is called Chasing Wellness.
Book Reviews
I love reading. This is one thing that keeps me busy and not feeling sorry for myself because I sometimes feel useless in my condition. I have enjoyed every book I have read, even if some of them weren’t my favorite. I enjoy the process of reading and reviewing books.
Read Jamie’s Latest Blog Posts…
Unbound
As I was growing up I never thought I would become a parent. I somehow knew it wasn’t in life plan God had for me. I admire the women who knew they would become mothers and have chosen to become awesome moms. For some of the women getting pregnant...
Devotions From the Lake
Part of my self-care routine is spending time with Jesus through devotionals. I love Betsy Painter’s new devotional “Devotions From the Lake”. The pictures are peaceful and beautiful. The short devotion is like balm to my soul that I need. I’m reminded that I...
Before I Saw You
Reading fiction allows me to live in a different world, to see things in a new way. Fiction doesn’t tell you what you need to do or how to fix it either. I read a lot of non-fiction books and devotions, so every once in awhile I like to dive into a novel and...
The Pact
Professional fighting isn’t a sport that I am crazy about. However, I admire the dedication, focus, and strength it takes to train to be a UFC or MMA or boxer. I don’t have that type of dedication or purpose. In Cody Garbrandts book The Pact he shares...
The Girl’s Guide to Conquering Life
Lately it seems like there are some great guides for young ladies and men to help them lead better lives, such as Erica and John Catherman’s book The Girls’ Guide to Conquering Life. This book is an awesome manual. The subjects go from how to change a...
A Breath of Hope
I had another sleepless so I picked up A Breath of Hope the new novel from Lauraine Snelling’s series. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this gem as I coughed and suctioned. I easily got lost in the story of Nilda, Gerd, Rune, and the many other characters of...
Hurricane Season
This week I got to dive into a novel. I chose to read Hurricane Season by Lauren K. Denton and I am glad that I did. Hurricane Season is a story of sisters Betsy and Jenna who discover who they are and how they want their lives to be. Both sisters had a lot of...
Dancing in No Man’s Land
In the United States a sort of civil war is happening in our communities. The right against the left and there doesn’t seem to be any peace in sight coming from either side. In Brian Jennings book Dancing in No Man’s Land he takes on this subject with some great Jesus...
Why Take Care Of Your Voice?
If you have been following my blog for awhile you know that my voice is important to me. With my trach and numerous tracheal dilation surgeries you know that I have lost my voice for periods of time. That is why when one afternoon I saw a great program on voice health...
The Audacious Molly Bruno
I love reading stories of faithful men and women who love Jesus and who were authentic and real about their love. It wasn’t fake. It wasn’t used as a weapon. Their love was real and genuine. In Marie Armenia’s book The Audacious Molly Bruno you...