Wednesday, August 17, 2011

MCS Lemons-to-Lemonade Project

This comes from Cynthia Wilson, Executive Director of the Chemical Injury Information Network.

The Lemonade Project

Many members of our [MCS] community are house-bound. Some have risen to the occasion, but how? How are people who are fully or partially house-bound able to handle it? Specifically, how do they spend their time, what projects or hobbies have been helpful, have they found ways to be productive given their situation, have they found ways to create a business or a specific project, or anything else they can think of.


Dr. Robert Mayer, author of the recent, well received book Strategies for Surviving Chemical Sensitivity, The Basics, is planning a series of articles for our monthly newsletter Our Toxic Times on how people with MCS are coping — showing the most resilient aspects of the MCS community and possibly showing others how to live successfully within the confines of the illness.

For example, a woman in the northeast, photocopies educational material and distributes it to individuals in need. She's absolutely dedicated to informing those around her. "I can't do much, but I can do this," is one of her most elegant refrains.

For those who would like to write out their stories, they may be sent to: Lemonade at CIIN, PO Box 301, White Sulphur Springs, or emailed to lemonade@ciin.org. Please provide contact information, so if Dr. Mayer has questions he can contact you. If you think you need to be interviewed (by phone or email), please send a note to CIIN or email with your contact information, the best time to contact you, and a brief description of your own lemonade.