Maranda Russell

Tag: disabilities

  • Personal post – Worst disability of mine

    As many of you know, I’ve had a bunch of health problems for a long time. Even as a kid I had chronic stomach, ear, and sinus issues. At 19, I developed my first chronic pain condition. My medical rap sheet is a mile long. But, I’ve NEVER experienced anything as disabling as these chronic […]

  • I Don’t Owe Anyone Anything

    Yesterday I had rather a bit of a breakthrough moment. Now, to most people with healthy backgrounds and relationships, this will likely be a bit of a “duh” moment, but to people like me who were groomed to be codependent caretakers, it is an immensely important realization. My “eureka moment” can be summed up in […]

  • My Drawing Won Honorable Mention!

    I received notice today that my drawing “A Soft Place to Land” won honorable mention in the Disability Legal Rights Center Art Contest, run in conjunction with the Art of Autism website. Here is the drawing that placed: I enjoy entering contests like these and am always honored when I actually win or place in […]

  • Back Doctor and Pain Management Clinic Rant – Why So Insensitive?

    This is going to be a bit of a rant. Yesterday I received a letter from the orthopedic doctor and pain management clinic I was seeing for my upper back/neck pain. That letter turned my mood sour quickly. It said that I had been non-compliant with physical therapy and the spinal injections they had ordered, […]

  • Anger, Mania, and Standing Up for Myself

    Anger, Mania, and Standing Up for Myself

    Last night I had a definite episode of mania. Wanting to stay up all night again, feeling like doing a million things at once, wanting to jump out of my skin, tempted to spend way more money than I should, barely able to sleep. If you read my rant yesterday, then you know that I […]

  • A Few Words About Applying for Government Disability Benefits

    A Few Words About Applying for Government Disability Benefits

    (The below was written out of simple outrage from what I have seen happen to fellow human beings who are genuinely too sick and weak to work, but are expected to wait years for any help from the government programs they have paid into all their lives. I am fortunate to have other resources to […]

  • Life Update: Jobs, Kids, Writing & Bernie Sanders!

      Hello everyone! I’m sorry that I’ve been neglecting my blog lately. I hope to start remedying that now. Here is a short list of some of the things that have been going on in my life recently, as well as some of the projects I am looking forward to beginning: For the last 8 […]

  • “The Big Bang Theory” Debate – is Sheldon Cooper autistic?

    (Please note I am just giving my opinion. I do not speak for the entire autistic community.) Recently I’ve really gotten into watching the tv show “The Big Bang Theory”. I’ve been told for a long time that I should watch it since I love nerdy humor, but I am the kind of person that […]

  • New children’s ebook published! “Petar: An inspiring story about an unexpected friendship”

    I just wanted to write a short blog post to let all my readers know that I just released a new children’s short story ebook! This ebook, Petar: An inspiring story about an unexpected friendship, is a heartwarming story about seeing past outward differences into the true heart of a person. The main character, Petar, […]

  • Why I consider myself an outsider artist…and am proud to be one!

    For a while, I really struggled to find a place in the art world. I wasn’t sure where I fit in. I have no formal training (other than the art classes I had in elementary and middle school), so I am almost entirely self-taught. I have read some artistic “how to” books, but always tend […]