Welcome to the blog tour for the book Super Sick: Making Peace with Chronic Illness! I’m excited to host Allison here at The Geeky Gimp. Each stop in the tour features a fictional character who experiences chronic pain or illness. Check out the rest of the tour dates below!
By Allison Alexander
Often, when a book or movie represents a disability or illness, the entire thing is about that illness; think Forrest Gump or The Fault in Our Stars. These characters’ identities are entirely swallowed up by their disabilities. In other shows, characters with illnesses are only there on the sidelines to “inspire” the protagonist, in the way that Tiny Tim’s only purpose in A Christmas Carol is to be pitied by Scrooge.
Writers have also excluded characters with disabilities from stories due to the idea that once you’re disabled or chronically ill, you’re done. You’re no longer a hero until you have found a cure or have “overcome” your disability.
As someone with a chronic illness, I appreciate it when I see three-dimensional protagonists who have conditions and are learning to deal with them while taking part in a larger narrative—characters like Cloud Strife.
First appearing in the video game Final Fantasy VII, Cloud is a significant character because he doesn’t fit the “strong” hero trope. He lacks the physical aptitude to be considered for SOLDIER and even struggles with motion sickness. In the movie Advent Children, he wrestles with depression and guilt over Aerith’s death. On top of all that, he contracts Geostigma, a disease sweeping across the world, and hides it from his friends.
Depression is something that many of us with chronic illnesses suffer from, and I appreciate that it isn’t something Cloud can just shrug aside. He’s lost hope because he feels weak and thinks he’s alone even though he has friends who care. This is what depression (and chronic illness) can do—isolate us and drain us of joy.
I still experience depression and frustration with my illness, but like Cloud, I came to accept that I am loved. I no longer feel like my emotions and my illness are my fault, like it’s my responsibility to beat them into submission. I no longer feel like I’m letting people down because of something I have no power over. I appreciate characters like Cloud, who are true superheroes because they experience real weakness.
Cloud’s decision to hide his illness is familiar to me because I tried to do that for many years. I didn’t want people to see me as weak or less than others. I felt guilty about something I had no control over. But in the end, pushing people away and hiding a part of myself only added to my depression and loneliness. Accepting that others cared and I wasn’t worthless helped my mental state more than anything.
Do you struggle with chronic pain or illness, or do you know someone who does? What have you noticed about how fictional characters with these conditions are portrayed?
About the Author
Allison Alexander is an earthbending Ravenclaw from Hoth who’s more comfortable curling up at home with a video game than venturing out into the wild. As an author, editor, and blogger, Allison aims to make spaces for minority characters in science fiction, fantasy, and pop culture. Also, her favourite character class in Dungeons & Dragons is a bard, so that should tell you everything you need to know about her.
From her home in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada—which she shares with her husband, Jordan—Allison writes books, edits novels, and mentors aspiring authors. Her book, Super Sick: Making Peace with Chronic Illness (Mythos & Ink) details her experiences with chronic illness and analyzes fictional characters who struggle with disabilities. She includes interviews with other chronic sufferers and explores how society values healthiness, doctors don’t always have answers, and faith, friendship, and romance add pressure to already complicated situations.
Super Sick: Making Peace with Chronic Illness is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Book Depository, and other major booksellers on April 17, 2020.
Visit the other stops on the tour
April 16: Create Write Now – Laura Roslin & Perseverance
April 17: Mythos & Ink – Launch Day Party on Facebook
April 17: The Paperback Voyager – Doctor House & Pain Management
April 18: Armed with a Book – Raven Reyes & Pressing On
April 19: The Geeky Gimp – Cloud Strife & Depression
April 20: The Writerly Way – Raoden & Chronic Pain
April 21: Invisibly Me – Wade Wilson & Shame April 22: Avalinah’s Books – Jane Foster & Worthlessness
