We are working towards long-term goals and need to pace ourselves, individually and collectively, to ensure that we have the energy to keep pushing. We know our worth is not tied to how much we can produce or engage, and we remind ourselves and each other to slow down, take breaks, and move with purpose, not panic. Our efforts today have to make us more functional tomorrow, not less.

While there are universal themes and patterns within our global chronic illness community, there is no substitute for local connections and place-based knowledge, experiences, and resources. We do not seek to establish a one-size-fits-all model, but instead to unite, support, and activate a global movement of local community networks working together to improve the lives of people in them. 

We hold that everyone has something to learn about chronic illness and disability. Public education and awareness is essential to fostering a culture that respects and recognizes sick and disabled folks as whole people, replacing sympathy, pity, and ignorance with compassion, understanding, and solidarity. At the same time, each individual’s experience with chronic illness is unique, and we are committed to leading with curiosity within our own communities, never assuming anyone’s access needs or experiences and encouraging our members to share their truths.

We know that we live in an interconnected web with our communities and environments. Our health is more than the sum of our individual decisions, and our health outcomes are directly reliant on the external systems we all interact with every day. We reject the notion that our illness is our fault, or that it is our responsibility to heal through it on our own. Our work and organizational structure is designed to rethink traditional systems and provide our community with a holistic and  sustainable path forward through embracing the wisdom of the collective.

We are committed to listening to, learning from, serving and following the voices of those most affected in our community. We are experts on our bodies, and we know best what our needs are. It is only through the centering of folks with lived experience that we can create a world that “leaves no body behind.”