Sam Martin is chronically ill, is an artist and has a PhD in how spoonies support each other online (yes, seriously!). She also makes the most adorable spoonie badges as Chronically Divine, available on Amazon and Etsy.
At Spooniehacker we loved these so much we’ve been handing them out to all our launch contributors. Our favourite is probably ‘spooky spoonie’ (because that’s us all over), but we’re also massive fans of ‘spoonie magic’, ‘I did a thing’ and ‘nope’.
On her Amazon profile, Sam says: “A few years ago, I decided to leave my job as a web developer and take a risk to do an MSc and then PhD in Digital Sociology and Digital Health. As someone who has different chronic diseases, I wanted to find out how people interact with and support each other via social media and smartphone apps, and how they used creativity to express themselves.
“Writing my PhD thesis while managing my Coeliac Disease and Arthritis was challenging, and I found myself turning to arts and crafts as way to relax. Soon I was looking at my data and wondering how I could also use creativity to add a little colour and sparkle to the lives of others who are chronically ill, and @ChronicallyDivine was born!
“Creative empathy means a lot to me, so I hope that if people see something pretty and shiny with a name or wording they’re curious about, they are more likely to strike up a conversation with you, than wonder silently why you seem tired or differently normal – thus a positive way to spread awareness.”
Total spoonie hero.
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