“You never know who’s behind that screen, who’s behind that keyboard, who may have just been crying last night or doesn’t have family to lean on…

who doesn’t have a chronic illness sister to have that conversation with.” That’s Naomi Rose (@nayrosee) from last year’s Wellness Week(end), and she put into words something that a lot of you have felt but maybe never said out loud. She talked about what community and online presence actually mean when you’re living with a chronic illness. How it might look like “just content” from the outside, but for the woman who’s scrolling at midnight feeling like she’s the only one going through this, it’s so much more than that. It’s a safe space. It’s an eye-opener. It’s that moment where someone mentions something you’ve been dealing with and you finally feel seen and not alone. Naomi is intentional about how she shows up. She brings her full self, dark humor and all, because she knows that showing up in her authenticity is going to reach whoever it’s meant to reach. And people have told her directly, “I’ve been in that space with you.” That’s what keeps her sharing, and nothing’s going to stop her. She’s coming back to Wellness Week(end) this year, and honestly, being in the room with women like Naomi is the difference between reading about community and actually feeling it. The conversations that happen in person, the ones where you can just say, “Hey girl, I’m not feeling it today,” and somebody actually understands, that’s what this weekend is built for. Wellness Week(end) 2026 is October 30 through November 1 at the JW Marriott Atlanta Buckhead. We still have tickets. Comment TICKET and we’ll send you the link. #WeAreILLMatic #WellnessWeekend2026 #ChronicIllnessCommunity #BlackWomenWithMS #LupusAwareness