The summer is almost over, ahhh! I’m not mad about it—I much prefer the cooler months, which I find to be a lot easier on my lymphie leg both physically and fashion-wise (pants and leggings 4ever). Plus, the end of summer means it’s getting closer to the September Walk to Fight Lymphedema and Lymphatic Diseases in NYC!! Super exciting. I’m hoping to be there, so if you’re going, be sure to say hello!
Ooh, I can’t wait for it to cool down and be autumn already. When I think about it, though, the blog has had quite the good summer! From meeting other lymphies at a fundraising walk to hearing inspiring stories to simply beating the summer heat, it seems as though it’s been a lovely balance of community, fun, and good health over here, and I can’t complain about that!
In the spirit of reflection, I thought it would be fun to look back on the most popular content from the summer on the Lymphie Life. These were rated based on viewer counts and site analytics, but if there’s a particular one you’ve enjoyed that didn’t make the list, please share it in the comments section below. Also, please let me know what topics you’d like to see discussed in future posts!
Inquiring minds want to know… while you were keeping cool this summer, what were you all reading and clicking and liking and sharing?
Top 5 Posts this Summer
- Lymphie man uses humor and storytelling to share about life with lymphedema: Jake Miles shared an honest (and humorous!) video about his experiences living with lymphedema. Definitely worth a watch!
- Lymphorrhea: the leakage of lymph: a short-but-sweet guide to that pesky fluid that sometimes leaks out of your lymphie limb, and how to deal with it safely.
- New Methods for Lymph Node Transplants Offer Possible Relief from Cancer-Related Lymphedema: a method called reverse lymphatic mapping has been developed by researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center that could make lymph node transplants safer and reduce the risk of lymphedema developing after cancer treatments.
- Nutrition & Lymphedema: a breakdown of lymphedema-friendly nutrition along with some ideas on how to introduce these tips into your own dietary routine.
- “I always end up still feeling good about my body”: How one woman with Parkes Weber Syndrome stays positive: by far the most viewed post this summer, this post about Isa-Bella went crazy viral along with her beautiful message of positivity.
Top 3 Facebook Links
- Starting a New Chapter: Grace, a fellow lymphie blogger and personal friend of mine, wrote an inspiring post about getting the courage to wear her compression stockings. This must-read was just as empowering for us to read as it probably was for Grace to write!
- Kathy Bates: My Battle with Lymphedema: the American Committee and the Weizmann Institute posted this essay by Kathy Bates in which she discusses her experience with lymphedema as well as the importance of raising awareness. Every time I see or hear something from Ms. Bates about lymphedema, I say a little prayer of thanks that we have such an awesome spokesperson! #ILoveQueenKathy
- Isa-Bella Leclair on the Daily Mail: this was the first post I saw about Isa-Bella before her going viral and I couldn’t have been prouder! Like Ms. Bates, Isa-Bella has been using her visibility as a means to share about important issues such as body positivity, living with chronic medical conditions, and, of course, lymphedema :)
- Bonus: Kimberly DeRemer Szekeres shared this photo of her son, Luke, on the Lymphie Life Facebook page. Luke, an eleven-year-old with lymphedema since birth, had just suffered a bad bout of cellulitis this year that left him in crutches for six months. That didn’t stop him from placing third out of sixty other competitors in a golf tournament, though! Way to go, Luke!!!
Top 5 Instagram Photos
These were the most liked photos on The Lymphie Life’s Instagram over the summer. If you’re on Instagram and not following @lymphielife yet, you’re missing out! (Missing out on mostly selfies and pictures of my shoes, but STILL!)
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