Summary
Nick Paro, Beth Cruz, Stephanie Wilson, and Soso came on air on Labor Day itself and made the holiday do double duty. Nick tied the weekend most people spend grilling to the reason anyone has it — organized labor won the weekend and the eight-hour day — and then extended the argument to Texas v. Kennedy, the 504 settlement effort that would erode Olmstead and, with it, the right of chronically ill people to work at all. That framing gave the episode its spine: labor rights and disability rights are the same fight seen from two angles, which is why Disability Community for Democracy’s push to codify Olmstead through the proposed Curtis Wilson Act belongs on a chronic-illness show rather than a policy show. The panel then answered a listener question from Daniel by reintroducing their conditions in full — fibromyalgia, radiculopathy and neuropathy, chronic daily migraine, psoriatic arthritis, optic nerve atrophy, CPTSD, an MS workup Nick is still waiting on — and the accounting doubled as an argument. Nick pushed back hard on being told fibromyalgia is “a woman’s disease,” and Soso, newly diagnosed with perimenopause amplifying her fibro pain, landed the episode’s most useful claim: patients are the experts on their own bodies, and walking into an unfamiliar clinic with your symptoms written down is a form of self-advocacy, not arrogance.
What kept the hour from turning grim was that it refused to. Rocks Against Flocks, a tub of fucks to give, pole dancing at the polls, Stephanie’s double rainbow over the bay — the jokes were not filler. They were the thing being demonstrated: community as the treatment plan, which is what Nick meant when he said he started this because he was tired of being alone at work.
Orgs, Programs, and Terms Mentioned
Organizations / Programs:
Disability Community for Democracy — organizing the lobbying push and the Curtis Wilson Act draft
Valor Media Network — raising funds for 1,000 care packages for USS Abraham Lincoln sailors and Marines
Power the Polls — recruiting paid poll workers ahead of the next election
Terms / Concepts:
Olmstead — the Supreme Court ruling establishing that people with disabilities have the right to live and work in their communities
Section 504 — federal non-discrimination protection covering any entity receiving federal dollars, not just schools
Texas v. Kennedy — the lawsuit whose proposed settlement would narrow 504 and undercut Olmstead
Sources & References
Disclaimer
Chronically Illing Out is a podcast and weekly roundtable discussion that provides a safe space for real chronic illness and mental health conversations—by people with lived experience. We are not trained professionals—and we do not claim to be—rather, we discuss our stories and current events to build community and solidarity. Know that you are not alone—and if you are in crisis, call/text 988.
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Nick’s Notes
I’m Nick Paro, and I’m sick of the shit going on. So, I’m using poetry, podcasting, and lives to discuss the intersections of chronic illness and mental wellbeing, masculinity, veteran’s issues, politics, and so much more. I am only able to have these conversations, bring visibility to my communities, and fill the void through your support — this is a publication where engagement is encouraged, creativity is a cornerstone, and transparency is key — please consider becoming a paid subscriber today and grow the community!
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Thank you Nieta Greene, Jeremiah Johnson Jubilee, Daniel Carvajal, Amelia Hall, MSW, CPACC, Courtney M 🇨🇦🏳️🌈, and many others for tuning into my live video with Stephanie G Wilson, PhD and Soso's World! Join me for my next live video in the app.
