Welcome to The Bed Perspective, a newsletter where you get words, songs and meditations about chronic illness, creativity and self-restoration in a broken world. I’ll be releasing my debut single in early summer 2025, so stay tuned.
This newsletter gives you a way to put words to your own experiences of chronic illness and creativity. It helps you to restore your connection to your self. If you don’t live with chronic illness it will help you understand what it means for others to live and create with limitations in an ableist world.
What you’ll get when you subscribe
Every second Wednesday you get an essay where I share:
The ups and downs, struggles, insights, breakthroughs on living with a chronic illness (severe ME/CFS)
How I navigate creativity (and how I don’t) while living with severe limitations
Writings that inspire you to restore your connection to your self.
You can read all previous essays here.
Every other second Wednesday you get a short meditation to help you navigate trauma and chronic illness or to simply have more well-being and work on self-restoration. You can see all meditations here.
As I live with a severe energy-limiting illness (ME/CFS) I may need to take longer breaks here and there, usually in December, April and August, but I’ll let you know.
Why subscribe?
You’ll want to subscribe if you’re
Someone living with a chronic illness and want to feel heard and empowered to move out of shame and into a deeper connection with your self.
Someone who sees themselves as a creative and wants to learn more about how to be creative when living with limitations (this doesn’t have to mean chronic illness only)
Someone who knows someone with a chronic illness and want to learn more about what it means to live amd create with a chronic illness and to understand the ableist systems that sick and disabled people are up against.
Want a supportive community, inspiration, tips and techniques to help you navigate chronic illness and trauma and to inspire you to tell or express your story through whatever medium you prefer.
Hi, I’m Madelleine
I am a Danish writer and musician who grew up in East and Southern Africa, graduated from School of Oriental and African Studies in 2004 and received my Masters in International Development from Roskilde in 2007. I have been ill with ME (more commonly known as ME/CFS) and POTS since 2011 and mostly bedbound since 2017. You can read more about what it’s like to live with severe ME here. My essays about the (lack of) treatment of ME patients, the sexism and stigma of ME, how doctors dismiss and ridicule patients, and patients’ rights to participate in decision-making about their own bodies, have been published in Danish national newspapers. This newsletter, The Bed Perspective, has been featured in Electric Literature.
I am currently (when illness allows) working on a memoir and recording my album from bed and my reclinable wheelchair.
I see it as part of my mission to help people living with illness, disabilities and trauma to help you tell or express your truth to the world. This is more important than ever right now.
Some love from our community
✨ “Such thoughtful writing about illness and creativity” —
from✨ “This is a great publication on creativity while having severe chronic illness” —
from✨ “Madelleine writes about her experience as an artist who's now bed bound with chronic illness. She shares how hard it is adapting to your new reality, how to work within your limits and find joy in the small moments. She also puts out regular meditations that are an absolute joy to listen to!” —
from✨ “Beautiful, true writing about life with chronic illness. It makes me think, feel and see the world in a new way. Highly recommend.” —
from✨ “Gritty love and wisdom about creativity from the difficult lived experience of severe ME/CFS. Also kick ass lyrics and meditations.” —
from✨ “Madelleine has created such a warm, generous and honest space to share her experiences and validate/ support others.” —
from✨ “Honest and educational views on illness!” -
from✨ “If you are able bodied, then you need to read Madelleine's writing to understand what it is like to live with chronic illness that can and often is debilitating. If you are someone who identifies as living with chronic illness, then you will find someone in Madelleine who gets it. Her work is amazing.” —
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