I've been awarded a grant from a Norwegian Freedom of Speech Foundation, Fritt Ord, to start a new blog about the Norwegian health care system!
I've been longing to dive into political debate and provoke the health&disease industry in Norway (if you've read my story you may understand why) and wow, this is just amazing, I'm being paid to blog!!! The grant is big enough that I can spend 40-50% of my available work hours for one year to do this project. I plan to be really obnoxious and say all the things they don't want to hear, spread good laughs and inspiration and also have a lot of fun in the process....
If you understand Norwegian, you can read the press release here.
Hello Anna, and congratulations on getting the grant from the Norwegian Freedom of Speech Foundation to start your blog.
ReplyDeleteI applaud you in your work, and would like to know more about what you are writing about, what you are doing with it. What topics are you planning on writing about?
I am an American theater artist who has been living in Oslo since June 2008, and I have been involved in a number of issues at the intersection of freedom of speech, education (particularly arts education), human rights, and more.
Most recently, I have begun working with the Norwegian Helsinki Committee, on a project we did last month for their ceremony of the Sakharov Freedom Prize. I helped co-produce Belarus Free Theater (Minsk) to come to Oslo, and do the premiere of their painful, beautiful, political play, "Discover Love." I and my group, Ensemble Free Theater Norway, are interested in doing more work related to that in the future.
Hope to hear from you soon, and I look forward to reading your posts.
Brendan McCall
Director, Ensemble Free Theater Norway
Hello Brendan, Thank you for your interest!
ReplyDeleteThe projects I am starting in Norway with support from Fritt Ord are aimed to raise debate about the current health paradigm.
My first book, "Kronisk", which is also supported by Fritt Ord and will be published in two weeks by Unipub forlag, is just the story of my own journey through accidents, diagnoses, surgical procedures, medical mishaps and buerocratical mismanagement - how the doctors tried to say I was "mentally unstable" and had me committed when I said I could heal myself, and how I then ran away from the hospitals and proceeded to follow my instinct and completely recover.
That is basically just my resumé as a professional patient, hopefully letting the medical field know I have something important to say and experience to back it up.
The blog will be where I directly challenge the current paradigm, and I aim to do this with a healthy dose of humor. The world has enough bad news, I don't need to make any more. My core message is that our understanding of the human body and mind are outdated, and our reliance on the pharmaceutically centered treatment system a serious health hazard.
Would love to discuss this with you in person if you are interested in hearing more.
All the best,
Anna
Also mental unstable persons can profit on running away (if possible: if committed and medicated under force, it's not possible)from hospitals and doctors to get well - and then, eventually, go back and try to build useful relations to them.
ReplyDeleteRescources, both personal, material and relational are crucial to succeed, though.
Cogratiulations to you! On your successful struggle, and the price - and the book. I look forward to follow your projected blog!
Thank you Titta! And I do believe you are right, it's not necessary to burn bridges when we escape to find our own path to healing. Participating in dialogue whenever possible and working to change the system to help as many as possible must be top priority.
ReplyDeleteAnna, Congratulations!! Let's do the Happy Dance in our heads! Really, I am just so impressed by the work you've done. I can't handle more than an hour or two online, but my Google Android is coming tomorrow, I hope, so I can rest and read the rest of your blog.
ReplyDeleteAt that time, if you don't mind, I'd like to do some bragging on your behalf. See, you are a bit modest; I can toot your horn all day. Sometimes, I toot my own, but not often. You deserve the recognition and the opportunity. I will be in touch. Take care, and don't work too hard. May you always swim in clean, sweet tides, Linda Martin, a.k.a.
Yay Linda:D Thank you so much, I'm dancing the happy dance with you right now! Smartphones are great for us chronic babes, they mean resting time doesn't have to be so boring anymore :)
ReplyDeleteHaha, just as an added note, this grant has brought my name to the public eye in Norway, and one of the most celebrated bloggers there is criticizing the decision, based on me (and several others who received grants) "not having any blog experience"...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.virrvarr.net/blog/2010/10/05/velkommen-til-internett-fritt-ord/
My choice to blog in English is due to the fact that health, illness and chronic pain are universal issues, and that several hundred million English reading people suffer from chronic pain, while in Norway there are only about a million. And most of those that are online looking for health stuff in Norway read English too.
Congratulations on your award. I think you are in an excellent position to blog on the health care industry in Norway. I was surprised and saddened to learn that some were "upset" by your award! If they had taken the time to look over your current blog, they would find that you certaingly deserve such an award.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your new blog! and thanks for 365 pain free days!
An excellent self-help blogg that has improved the quality of life for many people with chronic pain. And written by a person who knows what pain is all about. Show me a blogger who is more deserving of a grant from Fritt Ord! Well done Anna!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your support With pen in hand and Ros!! I sincerely hope I can live up to the expectations that come with this grant.
ReplyDeleteHurray! So the right person to receive that grant. Of course you'll live up to the expectations Anna. Hope to see you soon!
ReplyDelete