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Chronically
ill receive support Lindsay Putchinski says she feels different than most people, and she plans to do something about it. Putchinski, a junior nursing major, suffers from epilepsy. According to (www.epilepsy.com), she is one of 2 million people in the United States who has the chronic illness. Now, she is starting a support group for people at TCU who have chronic illnesses or disabilities. Putchinski said she wants to give people a place to express their feelings in a confidential atmosphere and help eliminate negative attitudes toward such sufferings. “I wanted a place that people could feel comfortable venting about the pressures of living with a chronic illness and trying to make it through college classes, or the disappointments and lack of support from family and friends,” Putchinski said. The group will talk about personal issues and rights, and give the support to each other that can’t be found in other places, Putchinski said. “I’ve been searching for a place to talk with people that understood what I was going through and weren’t just being sympathetic,” Putchinski said. “My family really doesn’t like to talk about what I’m going through and they act most times like my illness doesn’t exist, which makes me feel worse and embarrassed for them because they are obviously embarrassed for me.” Putchinski said that she has tried to find support groups but she isn’t sick enough to feel a part of them. “I found one support group in Dallas but I wasn’t sick enough for those people,” Putchinski said. “It was ironic to me that people that had epilepsy just like me, would ostracize me because I wasn’t sick enough, so I decided to do something about it.” Monica Kintigh, a licensed professional counselor at TCU, said support groups are good if they are led by a therapist or facilitator, or if it is structured. “Support groups offer the participant an opportunity to learn from others’ experiences, offer empathy toward others who have similar experiences and gain information,” Kintigh said. Putchinski said there are about 15 people from different backgrounds interested in the support group and not all have a chronic illness or disability. “I have some people (interested) that are family members or friends, and a few nursing majors that want to get a feeling for how their patients feel,” Putchinski said. People will introduce themselves and their illness at the initial meeting, and Putchinski said she will reinforce confidentiality at meetings. “I think that right now a lot of people are just looking for a group of people that won’t judge them and that they can call when they need someone to talk to,” Putchinski said. “I know there are a lot of people out there suffering in silence and I hope that this will urge them to come forward.” There are support groups for all kinds of problems and issues, and listings can be found in the phone book, Kintigh said. The first meeting for the chronic illness support group will be 4 p.m. April 4 in the Student Center Basement, Room 9. Kelly
Maria Howard |
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