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Jessica is a health writer, convention speaker, lipstick lover, and a fighter who lives with five chronic illnesses: bipolar disorder, polycystic ovarian syndrome, myasthenia gravis (a disease for which she carries a cane), asthma, and psoriasis. Her website,Fashionably ill, is about surviving pain–mental and physical–with style and humor. She is a contributor to The Huffington Post and The Mighty. Last year, she gave a TEDx Talk called, “How to Get Stuff Done When You Are Depressed,” which has amassed 35,000 views (as of this writing).* She is passionate about addressing the needs of people who live with both psychiatric illnesses and chronic physical/body pain, a community whose needs often go ignored. Jessica’s story has been featured in NBC News, BuzzFeed, Health Central, and everydayHEALTH. In 2014, MSNBC filmed a mental health documentary on Jessica’s life. Jessica is currently working on a project with Rutgers University called HYPE that will help young adults with severe mental illness find meaningful employment. She used to work for the Child & Adolescent Bipolar Foundation. Jessica graduated cum laude from Northwestern University with a B.S. in Communications and a Second Major in Political Science.
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