This much-needed collection of original articles invites the reader to examine the key issues in the lives of women with chronic illnesses. The authors explore how society reacts to women with chronic illness and how women living with chronic illness cope with the uncertainty of their bodies in a society that desires certainty. Additionally, issues surrounding women with chronic illness in the workplace and the impact of chronic illness on women's relationships are sensitively considered.

Diane Driedger has been involved in the disability rights movement at the local, national and international levels for 40 years, with organizations such as Disabled Peoples’ International (DPI), the DisAbled Women’s Network (DAWN) Canada, and Council of Canadians with Disabilities (CCD). She has published ten books, including four anthologies by women with disabilities, and The Last Civil Rights Movement: Disabled Peoples’ International (1989). She is also a poet and visual artist. Her most recent poetry book is Red With Living (2016). Diane is Assistant Professor in the Interdisciplinary Master’s Program in Disability Studies at the University of Manitoba.

Diane Driedger's profile page

Michelle Owen is Associate Professor of Gender Studies and Coordinator of Disability Studies at the University of Winnipeg. Her primary teaching and research interests and publications are focused on gender, sexuality, family, chronic illness, and disability.

Michelle Owen's profile page

"This collection addresses an under-researched and under-theorized academic topic, combining the perspectives of critical disability studies and feminist studies. Most importantly, it does so from the perspective of women who themselves live with chronic illness. The scholarship is sound and well-researched, but also adds an important dimension of personal experience that underlines the value of critical identity politics."— “Pauline Greenhill, Women's and Gender Studies, University of Winnipeg