This episode isn’t tidy or inspiring. I’m stuck in bed, waiting on answers, and my body scares me right now. I talk honestly about exhaustion, fear, faith questions, and what it’s like to stop pretending you’re fine when you’re not. If you’re surviving the day instead of living it, you’re not alone.

• Why it’s okay to say “this sucks” without rushing to hope
• What the waiting season really feels like with chronic illness
• How exhaustion shows up beyond the physical
• What faith can look like when you don’t understand what’s happening
• Why honesty is sometimes the bravest thing you can offer

• “This sucks. Being stuck in bed, being alone most of the time—it all sucks.”
• “My body scares me right now.”
• “Relief and exhaustion can sit in the same room.”
• “I don’t feel close to God right now, and I’m still talking to Him.”
• “No tidy ending today. Just honesty.”

• The Invisible Illness Club community - The Unseen Sisterhood
• Episode 25 - Normal Labs, Real Symptoms: Patient Advocacy & Hope with Rheumatologist Dr. Reeti Joshi
• Episode 20 - When God Doesn't Heal: Holding Onto Faith with Chronic Illness

In this episode, April talks with Bethany Bacon about living with hydrocephalus after being born at 24½ weeks, holding onto genuine hope, and learning not to let chronic illness—or the world’s opinions—define you. Bethany also shares the heart behind her Anchored in Hope coaching program and how listeners can connect with her.

• What it can look like to hold hope that feels real, not performative
• Bethany’s early medical story: born at 24½ weeks and living with hydrocephalus
• How she thinks about faith in a broken world (and why she talks openly about spiritual battle)
• A simple morning rhythm Bethany uses to stay grounded when symptoms and stress flare
• How a painful moment in public criticism impacted her identity for years
• Why she created her Anchored in Hope coaching program and what it includes

• “People are wanting genuine hope.”
• “Chronic illness doesn’t have to define a person.”
• “I can’t control other people’s reactions. All I can do is obey the Lord.”
• “It’s in my head… and it’s not in my head.”
• “God wants you to see yourself as His child, not through the way the world does.”

• Bethany Bacon: Created in His Image
• Anchored in Hope coaching program
• Website: created-in-his-image.com (with dashes between the words)

• Host: April Aramanda
• Guest: Bethany Bacon
• Music: Audio Jungle
• Produced for: The Invisible Illness Club Podcast

Starting the year tired, in appointments, and waiting on answers — this episode is about choosing quiet hope in a body that needs care.

• Why hope doesn’t have to feel confident to be real
• How to hold grief and gratitude at the same time
• What it looks like to start a new year already exhausted
• Permission to define success by listening to your body
• Why “manageable” can be a meaningful goal

• “Hope doesn’t require certainty. It requires permission to keep going anyway.”
• “I didn’t need the day to look different. I needed my body to feel safer in it.”
• “Getting through the day counts.”
• “Sometimes the bravest thing we do is keep showing up gently.”

• Rest & Refocus Workbook – a gentle reset for tired bodies and overwhelmed mind