About the Anthology
The Bodies Anthology was born after Elizabeth Pfiester stepped away from over a decade in a leadership role supporting the #insulin4all movement to navigate burnout and several new chronic diagnoses. After facing judgement and the pressure to "will herself well", the deep-seated ableism that people with disabilities and chronic conditions face became even more real and infuriating. She found herself returning to art and writing as a vital form of therapeutic resistance again and again.
This space can offer global visibility for others in the chronic illness community to reclaim their narratives. In a small but powerful way, it is hoped that this anthology can help transform lived experiences into a collective demand for health equity. Through an inclusive digital edition and aspirations for a curated print version, the aim is to use creative expression to help move towards a world grounded in radical care.
This project is a concept that we are trying out and working on during our spare time, for free. We want to honor this body of work while respecting our own bodies and boundaries. We commit to pausing and resting when our bodies tell us to.
Elizabeth Pfiester, Editor
Hi! I am a disabled activist and artist dedicated to health justice. I see creativity as an essential act of care and an embodied practice of love and resistance.
I founded T1International, an organisation at the intersection of chronic illness and global advocacy. I am fueled by the courage of global communities who refuse to be silenced, and I am committed to amplifying voices that demand health equity and collective liberation.
As the editor of the Bodies Anthology, I hope we create a collective space to explore how leaning into creativity, vulnerability and community can create radical care, understanding, and shared power.
Ali Hisham, Co-Editor
I am a published author, storyteller, communications professional and health advocate. I currently work as a Regional Advocacy Consultant at T1International for the MENA region.
I have been living with type 1 diabetes for over a decade, and came to advocacy as a way of making meaning from chronic illness. My first short-story book, Public Transportation (نقل عام), spent months on bestseller shelves and went through four editions. In the aftermath of the Arab Spring, I led Revolution Without an ID, a grassroots initiative encouraging children to express themselves through art.
I am always trying to make sense of the world and bring a little calm to its chaos. I breathe when I write, and hope to help others breathe in their own way.
Hannah Suppiah, Co-Editor
I’m an artist, writer, designer, explorer and question asker; a navigator of grief, bodies and the universe.
My diagnosis of type 1 diabetes at age 24 has brought me an intimate perspective on bodies, chronic illness and the often invisible work of living with it.
Alongside a career leading creative teams, I’ve increasingly turned my attention to writing, exploring grief, love and the strange work of finding a way through a life profoundly changed.
Yaa Bimpeh Amoah, Co-Editor
I am a nurse, diabetes educator and advocate. I have been living with type 1 diabetes for 24 years. My experience, work, and interaction with people living with chronic conditions has made me believe that our bodies are more than the diagnoses. They are the stories we carry, the pain we bury, and the mental toll that no one sees.
My writings are honest stories about living with type 1 diabetes in my part of the world (Ghana). I thought I was writing for myself, but I soon realized I was writing so others would know they are not alone and are part of a community. I am excited that Bodies gives us — people living with chronic conditions — a platform to turn our pain into art, and our art into community.