Meet the face
behind the posts

Chronically Hopeful Life is hosted by me, Lauren McLean, a writer, educator, and mental health professional. My journey began with a diagnosis of Crohn's disease in 2011 right smack in the beginning of my doctoral program. Since then the diagnosis has changed to Undetermined Colitis and then back to Crohn's disease again. During that time, I probably ran the gamut of emotions when it comes to the stages of grief. It wasn't until I came to the stage of acceptance that I finally decided to start treatment. Did I mention that took 10 years to get to? It was at that time that I knew I had to stop running and start fighting. Most importantly, I needed to start living. The Chronically Hopeful Life blog grew out of this need to make something meaningful out of it all, to raise awareness and discuss the issues of what it is like to live with a chronic illness, and to provide support to those of you out there who are seeking it. So here it is, in all of its glory, the wild ride that is being a chronic illness warrior.