Nov 6The holidays are coming, and if you’re already dreading the conversations, the obligations, and the pressure to show up like nothing is wrong…Setting boundaries when you have a chronic illness isn’t selfish, it’s survival. It’s knowing that saying yes to everything means your body will eventually say no for you, and usually at the worst possible time. It’s understanding that the dinner you pushed through last year cost you three days in bed, and deciding that this year you’re going to do it differently. That might mean leaving early without apologizing for it. It might mean skipping the event altogether and not letting guilt eat you alive about it. It might mean telling your family that you love them, but you’re not traveling this year because the recovery isn’t worth it. It might mean sitting down while everyone else is standing in the kitchen, and letting that be okay without explaining yourself for the hundredth time. And then there are the boundaries that aren’t about your body at all. The ones where you have to tell people to stop asking if you’ve tried this supplement their neighbor swears by, to stop commenting on what you’re eating or not eating, and to stop looking at you like something is wrong every time you’re quiet. Those boundaries matter just as much, and they’re usually the hardest ones to set because they involve the people closest to you. You’re allowed to protect your energy the same way you protect your health, because they’re the same thing. The people who love you will understand, and the ones who don’t were never really respecting your limits in the first place. #WeAreILLMatic #BoundariesAreHealthcare #ChronicIllnessCommunity #BlackWomenWellness #ProtectYourEnergyLatest
Nov 6The holidays are coming, and if you’re already dreading the conversations, the obligations, and the pressure to show up like nothing is wrong…Setting boundaries when you have a chronic illness isn’t selfish, it’s survival. It’s knowing that saying yes to everything means your body will eventually say no for you, and usually at the worst possible time. It’s understanding that the dinner you pushed through last year cost you three days in bed, and deciding that this year you’re going to do it differently. That might mean leaving early without apologizing for it. It might mean skipping the event altogether and not letting guilt eat you alive about it. It might mean telling your family that you love them, but you’re not traveling this year because the recovery isn’t worth it. It might mean sitting down while everyone else is standing in the kitchen, and letting that be okay without explaining yourself for the hundredth time. And then there are the boundaries that aren’t about your body at all. The ones where you have to tell people to stop asking if you’ve tried this supplement their neighbor swears by, to stop commenting on what you’re eating or not eating, and to stop looking at you like something is wrong every time you’re quiet. Those boundaries matter just as much, and they’re usually the hardest ones to set because they involve the people closest to you. You’re allowed to protect your energy the same way you protect your health, because they’re the same thing. The people who love you will understand, and the ones who don’t were never really respecting your limits in the first place. #WeAreILLMatic #BoundariesAreHealthcare #ChronicIllnessCommunity #BlackWomenWellness #ProtectYourEnergy
We were on the news today!♥ 210 · Oct 8
Day one of Wellness Week(end) 2026 is in the books and we are stILL buzzing.♥ 201 · Oct 31
“My diagnosis was a gift to me.” Our founder Victoria Reese Brathwaite…♥ 179 · Sep 3
We made history.♥ 170 · Nov 1
Day two of Wellness Week(end) 2026 was everything and then some.♥ 164 · Nov 1
We are honored to announce that Montel Williams (@montel_williams)…♥ 159 · Aug 27
We were on the news today!
♥ 210 · Oct 8
Day one of Wellness Week(end) 2026 is in the books and we are stILL buzzing.
♥ 201 · Oct 31
“My diagnosis was a gift to me.” Our founder Victoria Reese Brathwaite…
♥ 179 · Sep 3
We made history.
♥ 170 · Nov 1
Day two of Wellness Week(end) 2026 was everything and then some.
♥ 164 · Nov 1
We are honored to announce that Montel Williams (@montel_williams)…
♥ 159 · Aug 27
Beyond ILL Membership Community 2026Beyond ILL is a living, breathing community of chronically ill women who know what it means to fight for your health and your joy, women who get your faith, your flavor, and your fight.
Empowering Black Women with MS & Lupus: A Wellness & Self‑Advocacy ProjectAfter serving 50 Black women in Atlanta, this program is growing, now in partnership with Shepherd Center and Wellstar Health System.
- Understanding and Managing Relapses
This virtual series clears up one of the most confusing parts of MS, including “smoldering” progression that builds quietly between flares, and what sets relapsing MS apart from PPMS.
- This Is Lupus: The Reality for Black Women
This powerful virtual experience pairs the lived truth of Black women living with Lupus with insight from a rheumatology expert to close the gaps in understanding, diagnosis, and daily life.
- Love in Action: Supporting Someone I Love
Love in Action is a two‑part virtual series for spouses, partners, siblings, friends, and chosen family supporting someone with MS or lupus.
- WELLNESS WEEK(END) 2026
Our signature event is back for its seventh year, and it’s still the realest room we know.
- Becoming a Professional Patient
Our programs include our flagship Wellness Week(end) conference…
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I got sick of me.
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I group chat with my NMO peeps all day.
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The holidays are coming, and if you’re already dreading the conversations, the obligations…
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November 3 is Election Day, and no matter where you stand politically…
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And just like that, Wellness Week(end) 2026 has come to a close…
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@11Alive’s Aisha Howard (@AishaHoward) brought Wellness Week(end) 2026 to her news segment…
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We’re bringing something new to the table this Caregivers Appreciation Month…
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Day two of Wellness Week(end) 2026 was everything and then some.
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We made history.
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About
When Victoria Reese Brathwaite was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2012, she found herself alone. Though highly educated and insured, her symptoms were dismissed, her questions unanswered, and no image of anyone who looked like her appeared in brochures or online searches.
Frustrated by the absence of representation and community, Victoria began documenting her story publicly, sparking a movement in 2017 under the banner #WeAreILLmatic . What started as a hashtag grew into a national patient advocacy nonprofit in 2020. Today, We Are ILL offers education, sisterhood, and strength to thousands of Black women living with MS and other chronic illnesses, and is reshaping how the world sees them.
We Are ILL is a national nonprofit organization committed to radically transforming the experience for Black women with multiple sclerosis (MS), lupus and other autoimmune diseases. Through education, sisterhood, leadership development, and advocacy, we help women navigate the complexities of chronic illnesses while reclaiming joy, identity, and power.
We serve women who are often misrepresented or missing entirely from the traditional healthcare narrative, those whose symptoms were dismissed, whose pain was minimized, and whose lives were disrupted without support. Whether you’re newly diagnosed or decades into the journey, We Are ILL offers a soft place to land and a launchpad to rise.