What are we doing?
All people deserve to have their story heard. Those of us with invisible illnesses (some of which aren’t even recognised fully in the medical community) deserve to have ours heard too! The Foggy Frog and the Pain Gang Campaign helps us do that.
Foggy Frog and the Pain Gang tells the first part of that story without leaving people out because their illness isn’t recognised or they don’t have a name for it. It is a story for anyone who is part of the Spoonie Community, or who knows someone that is.
At this stage the Foggy Frog and the Pain Gang Campaign will have 3 key compenents:
- The Picture Book – Making the invisible visible
- Parent/Teacher Guide and associated workshops – Explaining invisible illnesses to children (will include activities and discussion points)
- Living with Foggy Frog and the Pain Gang – Sharing our stories with the world
The Picture Book – Making the Invisible Visible
Available Now on Amazon.
Foggy Frog and the Pain Gang bring chronic pain, fatigue and fog to whomever they visit. This is their story through the eyes of the person they visit. Those who have invisible illnesses will recognise their own experiences in those portrayed in the book. Others can begin to get an idea of what it may be like.
Megan was diagnosed with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome), Pelvic Congestion Syndrome, and Fibromyalgia in 2014. Foggy Frog and the Pain Gang was a way for her to put some distance between herself and her symptoms. When she couldn’t find any simple picture books to help her explain what was going on with her to those around her she decided it was time to share their story.
Parent/Teacher Guide and Associated Workshops – Explaining invisible illnesses to children
We have just begun working on this. Our initial plan is to develop a few key workshops, including:
- A Teacher’s session on how to support students with chronic illnesses.
- A Workshop for students on what an invisible illness is and how they can help friends who may have one.
Any feedback or suggestions on what to include are welcome.
Living with Foggy Frog and the Pain Gang – Sharing our stories with the world
Stories can be shared now through the blog. A future step for the campaign will be to collate stories from those interested in participating. Collated stories will be used to create a book that shares our experiences with the pain gang.
These three documents combined will provide a resource for educators everywhere to raise awareness of invisible illnesses in any community and with any age group.
How you can get involved
There are three key ways you can get involved with the Foggy Frog and the Pain Gang campaign:
- Sign up to our newsletter to keep up to date with the campaign: CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP
- Share your story: Talk about your experiences with any of the characters (Foggy Frog or the Pain Gang) either on your own blog or on Facebook and Twitter. Use the tag #foggyfrog to make sure it gets noticed by us. We will share your stories through our blog and social media pages (with your permission).
- Get your own copy of Foggy Frog and the Pain Gang: Find out more about the book here. You can check out what was said during the original crowdfunding campaign here.
“You know, I thought it would be difficult, but it really helped thinking about it as real things. It was easy to visualise and make sense of. I think it’s a wonderful thing you’re doing…”
– Jennifer, MEcuperate