When you were a kid, did you ever play with invisible ink, either from a science kit or making your own with lemon juice.  It was mysterious and secretive – and loads of fun.

Unfortunately, unlike invisible ink, invisible illnessdoesn’t came with oh’s and ah’s of glee.  But just as revealing a message written in invisible ink can start waves of giggles, revealing your own invisible illness can start waves of benefits.

In honor of the upcoming Invisible Illness Week 2009 (September 10-14), I’d like to explore ways to make invisible illness visible.

Why?

There are several benefits to letting others see and know about your invisible illness:

1. To educate others, to help them better understand both you and others with invisible illness
2. To let others provide assistance, to share the burden of illness, and to decrease isolation
3. To decrease stigma, misunderstanding, and fear
4. In society, to rally support for those with illness and to work to cure illness and decrease suffering

Here are 10 ways to make your invisible illness visible:

1. Share just a bit of info about your illness with a friend at an appropriate time.

2. Ride in a charity bike ride, walk in a walk-a-thon, or join a fundraiser for your illness

3. Start a blog about your illness and what helps you cope

4. Contribute to a national organization which educates about your illness

5. Sponsor someone for a charity bike ride, walk or fundraiser for your illness

6. Put information pamphlets about your illness in your place of work, if allowed

7. Write an article for your local paper about your illness during an illness awareness month.  For example, September is Pain Awareness Month.

8. Write to your senators or representatives when a bill comes up about your illness.  National organizations often have email alerts calling for you to contact your congresspeople at crucial times.

9. Wear a bracelet about your illness and share a few words about your experience when people ask you what the bracelet is about.

10. Share your story of hope through the national website about your illness.

These are just some of the ways you can help make invisible illness more visible and reap the benefits of doing so.  And you don’t even need lemon juice!

What other ways can you think of?  Please share them in the comments!

What one will you try today?

Photo courtesy of Robbie Gates.  Grand Rounds, a medical-blog carnival, is posted this week at Medicine and Technology.