Christians With Chronic Illnesses

L. A. Sprague
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Magnifying the voices of chronically ill brothers and sisters to inspirit their health journeys and their faith.

  1. 2 days ago ·  Video

    So My Husband Asked About Chronic Illness with L. A. Sprague and Paul Tromba

    Paul (L. A. Sprague's husband) joins me to ask rapid fire prompts, and we end up uncovering real wisdom about pacing, resilience, and community support without pretending any of this is easy. We start with a fun question about the perfect chronic illness mascot for this reason: Moving slowly is not failure, it’s strategy. We talk about what it means to build a hard shell against rude assumptions and rough medical experiences while staying tender on the inside. From there we name a frustration many chronically ill people expect at doctor appointments: being rushed, talked over, or treated like a paycheck instead of a person. We also get practical about survival mode basics: electrolytes, sodium, hydration, and the hidden costs that stack up over time, like compression wear and constant emergency snacks. Then we shift into deeper territory: the fine line between identifying with your chronic illness and letting it become your whole identity. Finally, we share clear green flags and red flags for churches, including accessibility needs (lighting, water access, seating, ramps) and a robust theology of suffering that doesn’t slip into prosperity gospel thinking. We wrap with a book recommendation and big updates, including season two returning November 30th, 2026, plus ways to connect, enter the giveaway, and support the show. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs encouragement, and leave a review so more chronically ill Christians can find us. https://www.patreon.com/c/CWCIpodcasthttps://www.buzzsprout.com/2552643/support Purchase here: https://a.co/d/6dM3f89 Music for The Supernatural Case of an Accidental Time Traveler Ad: https://uppbeat.io/t/prigida/sketch-book License code: FFWQZDUHONOHPA8O Support the show 🎤Share your story: CWCIPodcast@gmail.com 🧡Contribute towards the production of Christians With Chronic Illnesses: Regularly on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/CWCIpodcastOne time on GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-christians-with-chronic-illnesses🌱Join the Community:  Facebook Group: Christians With Chronic Illnesses Support Group Discord Support Group https://discord.gg/ZaWMkbGSty TikTok, IG, X, Threads, Twitch, & YouTube: @CWCIPodcastFacebook: Christians With Chronic Illnesses🔗Visit our website https://cwcipodcast-shop.fourthwall.com/

  2. 19 Oct ·  Video

    What are the Impacts of Trauma on the Body? With Kat Parent

    Your body is not “just being dramatic.” Sometimes it is doing exactly what it was designed to do: protect you. I’m joined by Kat, a trauma informed coach, caregiver, and breast cancer thriver, for an honest conversation about how trauma and chronic stress can shape chronic illness, mood, energy, and even the way we relate to God when life gets unbearable. Kat shares her story of surviving aggressive breast cancer, then facing layered family trauma and betrayal that she did not even recognize as trauma for years. We talk about the patterns that can form in childhood like people pleasing, compulsive caregiving, and suppressed anger and how those survival strategies can live in the body. Along the way, we reference key trauma and health frameworks from When the Body Says No (Gabor Maté) and The Body Keeps the Score, and we break down the basics of stress hormones, the amygdala “fire alarm,” emotional safety, sleep, and why the nervous system can get stuck on high alert. You’ll also get practical tools that work on low capacity days, including a simple breathing habit you can pair with bathroom breaks, the surprising science behind fake smiling, and a grounded spiritual practice for anxious nights: speaking Psalm 23 out loud. If you live with chronic illness, depression, IBS symptoms, autoimmune challenges, or caregiver burnout, this one offers language, compassion, and doable next steps. Subscribe, share this with a friend who feels alone, and leave a review so more Christians living with chronic illness can find the show. Visit Kat Parent's Pure Peace Coaching: www.coachwithpurepeace.com Breast Cancer Radiant: Growing & Glowing Through Your Cancer Journey by Kat Parent: https://a.co/d/0crCC0h0 Oh, The Mammaries!: How One Woman’s Fake Boob Transformed From Functional To Funny by Kat Parent: https://a.co/d/0buQ1w7g https://www.patreon.com/c/CWCIpodcasthttps://www.buzzsprout.com/2552643/support Purchase here: https://a.co/d/6dM3f89 Music for The Supernatural Case of an Accidental Time Traveler Ad: https://uppbeat.io/t/prigida/sketch-book License code: FFWQZDUHONOHPA8O Support the show 🎤Share your story: CWCIPodcast@gmail.com 🧡Contribute towards the production of Christians With Chronic Illnesses: Regularly on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/CWCIpodcastOne time on GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-christians-with-chronic-illnesses🌱Join the Community:  Facebook Group: Christians With Chronic Illnesses Support Group Discord Support Group https://discord.gg/ZaWMkbGSty TikTok, IG, X, Threads, Twitch, & YouTube: @CWCIPodcastFacebook: Christians With Chronic Illnesses🔗Visit our website https://cwcipodcast-shop.fourthwall.com/

  3. 12 Oct ·  Video

    20 Practical Resources for People with Chronic Illness with L. A. Sprague

    Pickles, compression socks, decaf coffee, bed risers, and a Bible passage about a “thorn in the flesh” might sound like a weird mix, but for many of us living with chronic illness, this is what real life support looks like. We’re sharing the practical tools that help us get through the day when symptoms are loud and energy is low, with special attention to POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome) and major depressive disorder. We start with simple physical supports that are easy to try and often affordable: electrolytes for hydration, salty snacks like dill pickles and even pickle juice, a big water bottle that makes daily intake simpler, and symptom-friendly swaps like decaf coffee. We also talk through helpful gear like compression socks and using bed risers to adjust sleep setup, always with the reminder to check with your doctor before changing anything health-related. Then we move into mental health and staying grounded at home, including a clear reminder that you can call or text 988 for support even if you are not actively considering anti-life, and just need someone to talk to. We also share comfort tools like peppermint oil, ways to make your space feel calmer, plus a stack of book recommendations, journaling for insomnia, and podcasts and music that help us feel less alone as chronically ill Christians. We close with Scriptures that help us hold pain and faith in the same hands, and updates on season two and ways to connect with the CWCI community. If this helped you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a rating and review so more chronically ill listeners can find these resources. https://www.patreon.com/c/CWCIpodcasthttps://www.buzzsprout.com/2552643/support Purchase here: https://a.co/d/6dM3f89 Music for The Supernatural Case of an Accidental Time Traveler Ad: https://uppbeat.io/t/prigida/sketch-book License code: FFWQZDUHONOHPA8O Support the show 🎤Share your story: CWCIPodcast@gmail.com 🧡Contribute towards the production of Christians With Chronic Illnesses: Regularly on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/CWCIpodcastOne time on GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-christians-with-chronic-illnesses🌱Join the Community:  Facebook Group: Christians With Chronic Illnesses Support Group Discord Support Group https://discord.gg/ZaWMkbGSty TikTok, IG, X, Threads, Twitch, & YouTube: @CWCIPodcastFacebook: Christians With Chronic Illnesses🔗Visit our website https://cwcipodcast-shop.fourthwall.com/

  4. 5 Oct ·  Video

    How to Cope as a Caregiver with Sarah Rybicki

    Your spouse gets sick, the plan you built your life on disappears, and suddenly you’re learning medical terms you never wanted to know. Sarah Rybicki joins us to share what happened when her husband was hospitalized after vomiting blood and they learned he had end stage liver disease, including stage four cirrhosis, esophageal varices, and the long shadow of a possible liver transplant. It’s raw, specific, and deeply human, especially for anyone living in the chronic illness world. We also dig into what caregiving actually looks like when you’re raising kids at the same time: medication schedules, insulin and injectable blood thinners, fatigue and nausea management, and the constant recalculation of what’s realistic today. Sarah talks about the pressure caregivers feel to hold everything together, the guilt on both sides of the marriage, and why communication and boundaries are not optional when illness becomes part of the relationship. If you’ve searched caregiver burnout, chronic illness marriage, or Christian caregiving support, you’ll hear language you can use immediately.  Faith runs through every part of Sarah’s story, but not in a glossy way. She describes Jesus as her best friend, reframes prayer as ongoing conversation while doing ordinary chores, and practices gratitude as a way to stay grounded when fear spikes. We also talk about healthy limits with needy friendships and why chronically ill people are not a burden, even on the days when the “bare minimum” is all they can do.  If this conversation helps you feel seen, subscribe for more, share it with a caregiver or chronically ill friend, and leave a review so more people can find Christians With Chronic Illnesses. https://www.patreon.com/c/CWCIpodcasthttps://www.buzzsprout.com/2552643/support Purchase here: https://a.co/d/6dM3f89 Music for The Supernatural Case of an Accidental Time Traveler Ad: https://uppbeat.io/t/prigida/sketch-book License code: FFWQZDUHONOHPA8O Support the show 🎤Share your story: CWCIPodcast@gmail.com 🧡Contribute towards the production of Christians With Chronic Illnesses: Regularly on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/CWCIpodcastOne time on GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-christians-with-chronic-illnesses🌱Join the Community:  Facebook Group: Christians With Chronic Illnesses Support Group Discord Support Group https://discord.gg/ZaWMkbGSty TikTok, IG, X, Threads, Twitch, & YouTube: @CWCIPodcastFacebook: Christians With Chronic Illnesses🔗Visit our website https://cwcipodcast-shop.fourthwall.com/

  5. 28 Sept ·  Video

    So Being Sick is Cool Now: A Response to Poppy Coburn's Article with L. A. Sprague

    “Disability is becoming cool” sounds like a hot take, but for people living with chronic illness, it can land like a threat. We sit with the backlash around Poppy Coburn’s article “How Having a Disability Became Cool” and talk honestly about what it gets right, what it misses, and why the tone matters when you’re already fighting to be believed. We dig into the world of “sickfluencers,” chronic illness TikTok, and the idea of social contagion. Yes, the mind and body are connected, and therapy can help some symptoms. No, that does not mean you can simply think your way out of real POTS, dysautonomia, pain, fatigue, or other invisible illness. We share why so many people seek validation online after being dismissed by doctors, and how medical gaslighting pushes patients into communities that finally say, “I believe you.” We also talk about overdiagnosis, comorbid mental health, the visibility of mobility aids in public, and why economic panic about disability can ignore the reality that support, testing, medication, and accommodations often help people participate more, not less. Along the way, we name the harm of intentional faking without making suspicion the default lens for every disabled person. Content warning: this conversation includes some explicit language and may be triggering. If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re “actually sick,” felt ashamed after a referral to mental health care, or worried you’ll never find a doctor who listens, you’re not alone. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs it, and leave a review so more chronically ill Christians can find the community. https://www.patreon.com/c/CWCIpodcasthttps://www.buzzsprout.com/2552643/support Purchase here: https://a.co/d/6dM3f89 Music for The Supernatural Case of an Accidental Time Traveler Ad: https://uppbeat.io/t/prigida/sketch-book License code: FFWQZDUHONOHPA8O Support the show 🎤Share your story: CWCIPodcast@gmail.com 🧡Contribute towards the production of Christians With Chronic Illnesses: Regularly on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/CWCIpodcastOne time on GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-christians-with-chronic-illnesses🌱Join the Community:  Facebook Group: Christians With Chronic Illnesses Support Group Discord Support Group https://discord.gg/ZaWMkbGSty TikTok, IG, X, Threads, Twitch, & YouTube: @CWCIPodcastFacebook: Christians With Chronic Illnesses🔗Visit our website https://cwcipodcast-shop.fourthwall.com/

  6. 21 Sept ·  Video

    Motivation Amidst a Terminal Diagnosis with Terry Tucker

    Doctors told Terry Tucker he would likely be dead in two years. Fourteen years later, he is still here, still trusting Jesus, and still telling the truth about what it costs to keep going with terminal cancer. We talk with Terry about living with a rare form of melanoma that started as a wound on the bottom of his foot and turned into years of surgeries, brutal treatments, and eventually amputation and wheelchair life. He walks us through the real timeline: Interferon that made him feel like he had the flu every week for years, toxic complications that landed him in intensive care, a clinical trial that kept tumors stable, and newer immunotherapy options like TIL therapy that are finally shifting the fight. If you live with chronic illness, disability, or ongoing medical trauma, you will hear your own experience echoed in the mix of fatigue, fear, grief, and bright hope. We also go deeper than medicine. Terry shares faith as an ongoing relationship with God, including moments when the only prayer left is a single word: “God.” We talk purpose beyond productivity, why “faith, family, friends” becomes his survival order, and how turning outward to care for someone else can pull you out of the darkest spiral. He even shares the story of a young nurse who almost quit her career until his day-by-day endurance reminded her why she became a nurse in the first place. If you need Christian encouragement for chronic illness, terminal illness, or cancer, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review so more listeners can find these stories. Visit Terry's website here: https://motivationalcheck.com https://www.patreon.com/c/CWCIpodcasthttps://www.buzzsprout.com/2552643/support Purchase here: https://a.co/d/6dM3f89 Music for The Supernatural Case of an Accidental Time Traveler Ad: https://uppbeat.io/t/prigida/sketch-book License code: FFWQZDUHONOHPA8O Support the show 🎤Share your story: CWCIPodcast@gmail.com 🧡Contribute towards the production of Christians With Chronic Illnesses: Regularly on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/CWCIpodcastOne time on GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-christians-with-chronic-illnesses🌱Join the Community:  Facebook Group: Christians With Chronic Illnesses Support Group Discord Support Group https://discord.gg/ZaWMkbGSty TikTok, IG, X, Threads, Twitch, & YouTube: @CWCIPodcastFacebook: Christians With Chronic Illnesses🔗Visit our website https://cwcipodcast-shop.fourthwall.com/

  7. 14 Sept ·  Video

    How I Got Diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) with L. A. Sprague

    One of the strangest parts of chronic illness is how fast your life can change with no clear moment of impact. I’m L. A. Sprague, host of Christians with Chronic Illnesses, and I’m sharing my personal journey with POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) from the first scary symptoms to the testing, the waiting, and the emotional toll of trying to prove what my body already knows.  We talk through the real timeline: that day at work when I felt like I was going to pass out, the ER visit where everything looked “normal,” and the cardiology path that led to a tilt table test. I explain what the tilt table experience was like for me, what it felt like to be “borderline,” and how confusing it can be when the medical system treats your symptoms like a puzzle you have to earn the right to solve.  Then the story takes a turn that so many of us recognize: a provider later tells me I don’t have POTS, and suddenly I’m back in that spiraling place of doubt and shame. I share what it meant to finally sit with a neurologist who actually read my notes, validated my experience, re-diagnosed me with POTS. and helped me move forward with treatment. We also get practical about POTS management and dysautonomia support: medications, compression socks, electrolytes, feet-up recovery, cooling strategies, pacing, and building a life that makes room for limits without surrendering purpose.  If you’ve ever felt dismissed, overwhelmed, or exhausted by the fight to be taken seriously, I hope this conversation makes you feel less alone. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs it, and leave a review so more chronically ill Christians can find this community. https://www.patreon.com/c/CWCIpodcasthttps://www.buzzsprout.com/2552643/support Purchase here: https://a.co/d/6dM3f89 Music for The Supernatural Case of an Accidental Time Traveler Ad: https://uppbeat.io/t/prigida/sketch-book License code: FFWQZDUHONOHPA8O Support the show 🎤Share your story: CWCIPodcast@gmail.com 🧡Contribute towards the production of Christians With Chronic Illnesses: Regularly on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/CWCIpodcastOne time on GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-christians-with-chronic-illnesses🌱Join the Community:  Facebook Group: Christians With Chronic Illnesses Support Group Discord Support Group https://discord.gg/ZaWMkbGSty TikTok, IG, X, Threads, Twitch, & YouTube: @CWCIPodcastFacebook: Christians With Chronic Illnesses🔗Visit our website https://cwcipodcast-shop.fourthwall.com/

  8. 7 Sept ·  Video

    Overcoming the Victim Mindset of Chronic Illness with Kaylen of Chronic Yet Undefeated

    She went a decade without a seizure, followed the medical plan to taper off meds, and finally started to picture a more “normal” life. Then one illness in December 2020 flipped everything, leading to repeated seizures, a terrifying hospital stabilization, and a long climb back through memory loss and fear. Kaylen of Chronic Yet Undefeated joins us to tell the truth about epilepsy that most people never hear, and why she still calls God her provider and protector. We get practical and specific about what seizures can feel like from the inside: focal impaired awareness moments that feel like a dream you cannot wake from, generalized convulsive seizures that steal consciousness, and auras that show up as nausea, pins and needles, or even phantom smells like burning rubber. Kaylen also names the heavy topics, including SUDEP anxiety, driving limits, workplace barriers, and why “you don’t look sick” can be one of the most isolating lines a person with invisible illness hears. Just as important, we talk about healing the heart. Kaylen shares how bitterness and self-protection pushed her toward isolation, and how church community, meaningful connections, and an identity rooted in Christ helped her move forward. If you’re a Christian living with chronic illness, epilepsy, or an invisible disability, this conversation offers both real-world insight and spiritual encouragement grounded in scripture. If this resonates, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review so more people living with chronic illness can find this community. Listen to Kaylen's podcast: Chronic Yet Undefeated https://www.youtube.com/@ChronicYetUndefeated https://www.patreon.com/c/CWCIpodcasthttps://www.buzzsprout.com/2552643/support Purchase here: https://a.co/d/6dM3f89 Music for The Supernatural Case of an Accidental Time Traveler Ad: https://uppbeat.io/t/prigida/sketch-book License code: FFWQZDUHONOHPA8O Support the show 🎤Share your story: CWCIPodcast@gmail.com 🧡Contribute towards the production of Christians With Chronic Illnesses: Regularly on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/CWCIpodcastOne time on GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-christians-with-chronic-illnesses🌱Join the Community:  Facebook Group: Christians With Chronic Illnesses Support Group Discord Support Group https://discord.gg/ZaWMkbGSty TikTok, IG, X, Threads, Twitch, & YouTube: @CWCIPodcastFacebook: Christians With Chronic Illnesses🔗Visit our website https://cwcipodcast-shop.fourthwall.com/

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About

Magnifying the voices of chronically ill brothers and sisters to inspirit their health journeys and their faith.

Information

  • Creator
    L. A. Sprague
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    49
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Christians With Chronic Illnesses
  • Show Website
    Christians With Chronic Illnesses

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