I was thrilled when my local newspaper did an article about me living as a CAVE DWELLER with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) this week. Not only did they do a great job, but they promoted my writing too! Having the illness (not a disease) keeps me living at home to AVOID chemicals of nearly every kind, like perfumes, air fresheners, body products, shampoos, cleaning products...and so on. I have to wear a mask to filter out most of them just to go to the drug store. (Why they sell perfumes (the first counter you walk past to get to the pharmacy section) is beyond me!) Charcoal filtered masks don't cut out all chemicals and some end up on your clothes and skin also. A friend of mine with MSC much worse than mine was down to only three foods at one point, becoming so underweight she thought she was going to die. Yes, DIE! MCS can actually kill you! I went downtown to the bank (I live in a rural area) Noticing a Brinks truck (money, guards, guns...) I kept walking, not thinking of anything but 'hitting' the bank machine (legally of course LOL) when I noticed the guard standing on the sidewalk staring at my strangely. His hand caressed the handle of his gun and i realized that he must be on alert because of my mask. I put up my hands and laughed, passing him as I entered the building. Then I realized that (with the mask still in place) the people in the bank started giving me strange looks too. Trying not to laugh out loud, I walked up to the bank machine and withdrew my cash then left. I wondered if there was a big sigh going on behind me. I'm no bank robber. Whenever I go out I get curious looks from people and wonder if they think I'm a Michael Jackson wannabe or that I have the swine flu. Some look wary while others grin, yet others just look away quickly. Children find me fascinating (unless I try to sing) Living with MCS is difficult at best when even in my own cave I become ill. I've just discovered we have a mould problem and I seldom leave home so am possibly more affected by it than my husband and daughter. I have a remediation company looking into it. Anyway, I thought the story would be funny yet allow people to learn about the environmental illness. More than a milliion people across Canada alone have it, many still undiagnosed. It's a neurological (brain) damage caused by contact with chemicals, not an allergy. Please feel free to look at my site. I'm writing a book about it in hopes that people will realize that they are not alone. MCS affects many people in so many different ways it's difficult to diagnose and governments and medical doctors may or may not recognise it. It took a long time to get Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia noticed, it's time for MCS to become known. Environmental illness is on the rise. MCS sufferers number over a million in Canada and millions more in the United States, not to mention so many other countries in the world. Germany and Austria recognize MCS as a valid illness where even in Canada, not every medical doctor/association will give it a claim to fame. The point is, I changed my entire life when I fell ill twelve years ago, becoming a full time writer of paranormal romantic suspense, (paranovelgirls.com) and also as a non-fiction author about illnesses (authorfrancesrarmstrong.com) Never surrender to illness. Never give up on your dreams of becoming a published author. Persistence is the key. Oh, and a good spell checker too! It's great to be able to promote my book, 'Multiple Chemical Sensitivities-The Toxic Tango' before it's even finished. I think that's called being proactive. If you'd care to read the article, and another at THE CANARY REPORT, please follow the links below. Blog on THE CANARY REPORT about living with MCS "Cave Dwelling" http://www.thecanaryreport.org/2009/07/21/cave-dwelling-with-mcs-a-life-of-avoidance/ Newspaper Article on Living With MCS http://www.northumberlandnews.com/life/article/133577