The Fine Art of Waiting: Stacey Ballard on Chronic Illness

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Stacey Ballard

Stacey Ballard

Did you know that 40% of Americans live with a chronic illness?  This means that someone you work with, someone you live with, someone you love, is probably coping with chronic pain. 

I didn’t realize the scope (133 million Americans) until my interview with Stacey Ballard.  Stacey lives with multiple chronic conditions:  a life marked by medical emergencies, uncertainty, and trauma.  Stacey segued her pain into The Fine Art of Waiting, an artistic workbook designed to help those in a season of waiting (and isn’t that all of us, in the midst of COVID-19).

Her interview opens up the world of chronic pain…and how you can help someone who is living with a lifelong condition. 

You can find the Handle with Care: Empathy at Work podcast on Google Play, Apple Podcast, and Spotify. And you can listen to the episode here:

Stacey during a hospital stay

Stacey during a hospital stay

Here are three take-aways from my conversation with Stacey

  1. As a person living with chronic pain, Stacey could often experience herself as a burden:  a financial burden, a logistical burden:  someone who would not get better.  My first-takeaway is just a question:  If you know someone that is living with chronic pain, are you subtly or explicitly reinforcing those messages?  Perhaps the messages are subtle.  Do you sigh loudly when they express bodily pain?  Roll your eyes?  Or do you give positive messages:  you are important, you are more than your pain, you have a place here. 

  2. Offer to come along to doctor’s appointments, to take notes, to drive.  The flow of information can be overwhelming, and company is often appreciated.

  3. If you are living with chronic pain, finding a support group can be really meaningful.  Perhaps that is locally or through the Internet.  Support groups can also be helpful to care providers as they shoulder a particular burden.  And, as Stacey noted, not all groups are created equal.  If the group isn’t working for you, don’t be afraid to move on and seek out another support group. 

  4. And this is a last, bonus take-away.  If you don’t know what to say, “Tell me more,” is a great prompt.  Stacey noted the importance of this phrase.  You might have noticed that I unconsciously did this earlier in the interview.  I don’t know a lot about chronic pain…which meant that I didn’t really even know what to ask.  However, by just opening myself up to her story with an open-ended question, I learned a lot.