Just Keep Swimming – a Column by Janneke Phung

Janneke Phung is a 36-year-old mother to three boys and is married to a wonderfully supportive husband. Janneke lives in Calgary, Alberta, where she takes full advantage of being surrounded by both prairies and mountains. Running her home, feeding her family, homeschooling her 6-year-old and keeping her 3-year-old twins out of trouble is her full-time job. In October 2019, after years of health struggles and needing to advocate for herself, she was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis, which prompted her to make drastic changes to her lifestyle. Her motto is to “Just Keep Swimming” in the face of adversity, with hope in perseverance and passion about advocating for others who struggle with rare diseases

December 10, 2020December 8, 2020

When ‘Imagined’ Pain Becomes a Real Diagnosis

Columns, Just Keep Swimming – a Column by Janneke Phung

I showed up at my doctor’s office with stickers all over my back. The pain usually was most severe in the middle of the night. Yet, I was always ... Read more

December 3, 2020November 30, 2020

What My Nightly Struggle With Invisible Illness Looked Like

Columns, Just Keep Swimming – a Column by Janneke Phung

At 3:30 a.m., I sat in bed gasping for air with acute pain in my chest. Like every other night, I had gone to bed at 10 p.m. after ... Read more

November 19, 2020November 17, 2020

Just Keep Swimming

Columns, Just Keep Swimming – a Column by Janneke Phung

Have you ever watched the movie “Finding Nemo?” If you have, you might recall the scene in which Dory, the optimistic, forgetful, and friendly fish, tells her newfound fish ... Read more