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27/Aug/2020

…in books, movies and TV?

One in three people lives with a musculoskeletal condition. 1 in 3. But it was almost impossible to find any decent books, TV shows or movies that feature realistic portrayals of people living with these conditions, or living with chronic pain. Even when you extend it to people living with chronic illness in general, which is an even bigger proportion of the community, it’s a tough slog through mediocrity.

I was astounded at the lack of characters living with these conditions. And when I did find some, I found many to be annoying, improbable and insulting.

Many of the stereotypes used include:

  • the person addicted to pain medications
  • the person who’s just too good to be true – nothing turns their frown upside down because they’re amazingly brave and stoic – they conquer all
  • the person who’s angry all the time, hates the world and everyone in it.

Few real people are like this all the time. Some elements may appear in our personalities and our lives, but no one is this one dimensional. So it’s sad that this is the way we’re portrayed.

It was also really depressing to see how some conditions – particularly fibromyalgia – are disparaged and often treated as a punchline. That’s so unfair.

So here’s my call to action – before I even delve into the stories I did find – let’s get our stories out there!

We can create stories and characters that are multi-faceted – we know people have more than one side or feature – because we are those people. We’re good, bad, positive, negative, strange, unique, parents, siblings. We work, we study, we get sad, we love, we hurt. We are and do all of these things, often at the same time! There’s so much more to a person that an addiction or stoicism.

So use whatever medium inspires you – fiction, film, photos, art, humour – and share it with us. We’d love to see it.

And if you’ve come across some great characters that we’ve missed in this list – let us know. We’ll add them to our blog.

Ok, rant over.

Here’s the list of the books, movies and TVs I did come across that featured more interesting characters. And a confession here –I’ve only seen/read a few, but have added lots to my enormous ‘must watch list’ and my towering ‘to be read’ pile.

Renoir (movie)

Based in the summer of 1915 in the French Riviera, this movie features an ageing Pierre-Auguste Renoir (Bouquet), dealing with the loss of his wife, the effects of rheumatoid arthritis, and the terrible news that his son Jean (Rottiers) has been wounded in action. But then a young girl (Théret) enters his world and Renoir is filled with a new, unexpected energy as the beautiful Andrée becomes his last model. Then Jean returns home to recover from his wounds and queue the love story.
Director: Gilles Bourdos
Year: 2012
Stars: Michel Bouquet, Christa Théret, Vincent Rottiers
Language: French (English sub-titles)
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2150332/

Words and pictures (movie)

In this romantic comedy, an art instructor (Binoche) with rheumatoid arthritis and an English teacher (Owen) form a rivalry that ends up with a competition at their school in which students decide whether words or pictures are more important.
Director: Fred Schepisi
Year: 2014
Stars: Clive Owen, Juliette Binoche
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2380331/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

The Good Doctor (TV)

This popular TV medical drama revolves around young surgeon Dr Shaun Murphy (Highmore) who has autism. In season 3 one of his colleagues, Dr Morgan Reznick (Gubelmann) opens up to senior surgeon Dr Glassman (Schiff) about having been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. She needs his help to get a cortisone injection so she can perform her first surgery. She discusses with him her concerns about how the other surgeons may assume RA will affect her ability to operate and do her job.
Creator: David Shore
Year: 2017-
Stars: Freddie Highmore, Richard Schiff, Fiona Gubelmann and many others.
YouTube: Dr Reznick wants Dr Glassman to keep her condition a secret

The Big Sick (movie)

Written by Emily V Gordon and her husband Kumail Nanjiani, this romantic comedy is loosely based on the real-life courtship before their marriage in 2007. While they were dating Gordon became ill and was put into a medically induced coma. She was later diagnosed with Still’s disease.
Director: Michael Showalter
Year: 2017
Stars: Kumail Nanjiani, Zoe Kazan, Holly Hunter, Ray Romano
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5462602/

Five feet two (doco)

This documentary follows Lady Gaga as she gets ready to release her fifth album and struggles with the physical and mental ups and downs. During the documentary she talks openly about her fibromyalgia.
Director: Chris Moukarbel
Year: 2017
Stars: Lady Gaga
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7291268/

Maudie (movie)

This romantic drama is based on the real life story of Canadian folk painter Maud Lewis (Hawkins). Maud was born in 1903 and diagnosed with juvenile arthritis as a child. This movie tells the story of love of painting, her marriage to Everett Lewis (Hawke) and her recognition as an artist.
Director: Aisling Walsh
Stars: Sally Hawkins, Ethan Hawke
Year: 2016
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3721954/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

Cake (movie)

Cake tells the story of Claire (Aniston) who struggles with chronic pain and depression after a car accident that also killed her son. She becomes addicted to pain killers (sorry) and joins a chronic pain support group. Through this group she meets Nina (Kendrick) who later commits suicide. The story goes on to explore Claire’s relationship with Nina’s husband (Worthington) and son, her relationship with her estranged husband and how she tackles physical and emotional pain. https://msk.org.au/persistent-pain/
Director: Daniel Barnz
Stars: Jennifer Aniston, Anna Kendrick, Sam Worthington
Year: 2014
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3442006/

Cursed (YA book)

As if her parents’ divorce and sister’s departure for college weren’t bad enough, fourteen-year-old Ricky Bloom has just been diagnosed with juvenile arthritis. Her days consist of cursing everyone out, skipping school–which has become a nightmare–daydreaming about her crush, Julio, and trying to keep her parents from realizing just how bad things are. But she can’t keep her ruse up forever. https://msk.org.au/juvenile-idiopathic-arthritis/
Author: Karol Ruth Silverstein
Year: 2019
Publisher: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/588565/cursed-by-karol-ruth-silverstein-author/

Sick kids in love (YA book)

Isabel has one rule: no dating. All the women in her family are heartbreakers, and she’s destined to become one, too, if she’s not careful. But when she goes to the hospital for her RA infusion, she meets a gorgeous, foul-mouthed boy who has her rethinking the no-dating rule and ready to risk everything.
Author: Hannah Moskowitz
Year: 2019
Publisher: https://www.panmacmillan.com.au/9781640637320/


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08/Apr/2020

Cast your mind back just a few short months when the thought of hanging out at home with no obligations would’ve been a wonderful dream. Relaxing, feet up on the couch, a cheeky afternoon nap…ah, the serenity. Now that we have to stay at home, we’re all finding it a little harder than we thought it would be to stay sane and entertained.

So our team have come up with a bunch of things you can do at home this Easter long weekend, and into the coming months. Apologies (sorry, not sorry) this is another long one!

Play – with your kids, pets, partner. Now’s the perfect time to let your inner child loose, play and have fun! Rediscover chasey (the dogs love that one), play hide and seek, build a blanket fort in your lounge, play footy in the backyard, play SH Health’s Easter Bingo, take part in the wheely bin challenge. 

Learn – about the world, a new skill, language, art, culture, history, society. There are so many organisations providing online learning courses, and many of them are free. Just search online using your favourite search engine, and explore what’s available. Also check out Laneway Learning, MOOCs (massive open online courses), TAFEs and colleges, community houses. You’ll come out of this pandemic with so much knowledge you’ll wow everyone at your next trivia night ?.

Read – OK complete disclosure here – I’m a librarian, so I love reading and want everyone to enjoy reading too. Now is a great time to read that book you’ve always wanted to, or the one your friends have been going on about. You can read so many books online, or you can you can listen to audio books. Some are free, others you’ll have to pay for. Or go through the pile of books and magazines you have at home. Reread your favourites, share them with your family, create a bookclub and discuss what you loved. And don’t forget to check out your local library to access eBooks and audio books.

Travel – one of our MSK Kids families is travelling the world by having different themed dinners and dressing up. So far they’ve been to India, Malaysia, USA, Thailand. You can travel online and visit cultural and historical collections around the world, zoos and galleries, explore travel blogs, watch documentaries. It’s amazing how much of the world you can experience from home.

Worship – we’re entering an important period of celebration and significance for many faiths. But we can’t gather at our churches, temples, mosques, synagogues and other places of worship with our family and friends. The good news is that a lot of them are going online. Contact your place of worship or search online to see what events are being streamed and when. Gather with your extended family and friends virtually after worship to celebrate together. It’s going to be different, and it’ll be challenging for many of us, but we can still celebrate the things that are important to us.

Create – draw, sing, paint, write, dance. Take a tip from The Sound of Music and put on a concert or puppet show. All you need to start is an idea. Then go online to see what you need (if anything) and how to move your creation forward. And don’t forget to check out Pinterest. Wow, that’s an amazing rabbit hole you’ll fall into for hours!

Donate – blood, plasma, goods, money…whatever you have to offer. As far blood and plasma go Australian Red Cross Lifeblood is still open and are a VERY essential service. So if you’ve never donated blood and/or plasma, and you’re healthy and well, they could really use yours right now. And if it’s been a while since you’ve donated, it’s time to head back there. Check out their website for more info to see if you’re eligible.

Play some more
– do a jigsaw, create a Lego masterpiece, play board games. You can do many of these things online or using an app, or brush off the games you have at the top of the cupboard in your spare room. Challenge your friends to online games like Words with Friends (if you’re a nanna like me) or some very cool multiplayer games like Fortnite. Stay connected with your friends or meet new people online and have a great time!

Connect – call your parents, your aunt, your brother, your friend from high school. Or reach out via social media. Everyone’s isolated so let’s lessen that by staying connected with the people we love, and reconnect with those we’ve lost track of.

Organise – your cupboards, garage, the weird space under the house, your finances. Wherever you have mess or chaos, what better time than now to get these things in order?

Clean – on a similar note, clean. Clean out the old things you don’t need, want or use, Save them for when you can go to the op shop and donate them. Or prepare your online ads for when you can go back to selling online*. And once you’ve sorted through this stuff, physically clean your space. Give everything a good dose of elbow grease.
*Note – we’re working under the assumption that selling your goods is not an essential reason for leaving your home (e.g. to post something or for someone to visit your house to collect something.

Camp –it’s a much loved tradition in Australia for the Easter long weekend. You can still do it, just camp in your backyard or in the lounge.

Review – your insurance, your Will, finances, energy providers and telecommunications providers. Not nearly as much fun as camping but it’s important, and we never seem to have time for this kind of stuff. Until now.

Cook – we have endless online resources to help us create the perfect meal, try a new recipe, bake a cake or make chocolate crackles. Get the kids involved, make a delicious mess and have fun!

Listen – to each other, audio books, podcasts, music. Take time to really immerse yourself in whatever it is you’re listening to.

Write – a book, blog, journal, your family history. Whatever takes your fancy. Sit in front of the computer or grab a notepad and pen (or quill if you’re feeling fancy) and just get it all out. I find the best way to get started is to just do it…throw words down, have a brain dump, then reread it and edit after you’ve written something. Don’t tie yourself up in knots reading as you’re writing. You can edit when you take a break from the creative process.

Research – your family history, a place for your next holiday, info about your health condition, life, the universe and everything. By now you may have guessed that there are a lot of resources online. Try the state and national libraries, archives, commercial ancestry websites, travels sites, our website, museum websites. There’s so much information out there. The world really is your oyster when you have the time and inclination to do some online searching and exploring.

Garden – create a new garden, resurrect an old one, plant some pots, mow the lawn. Whatever you enjoy and gets you outside and into the fresh air. Then sit back and admire your handiwork. It’s such a satisfying feeling!

Meditate – with all the online stuff we’ve been suggesting, as well as all the noise of the constant media, work, school and everyone living in tight quarters at home, it can be overwhelming, exhausting and LOUD! So take some time out to be quiet. Why not try some mindfulness meditation? Or just sit quietly in your yard? Get the rest of the household involved, and make it a part of your new routine. Your mental health will thank you for these moments of stillness and reflection.

Exercise – well der. Clearly that’s a no-brainer, but it has to be included in our list. And exercise is one of the magical reasons you’re allowed to leave your home at the moment. But it does have to be in compliance with the restrictions in place in Australia, and any further restrictions in your state or territory.

Volunteer – there are many charities, community groups, schools and other organisations that depend on volunteers. And a lot of their volunteer work can be done from home. Check out what’s available by visiting the Volunteering Australia website, or contacting your school, sporting clubs and other local groups.

With all that we’ve offered here, and really it’s just the tip of the iceberg, we hope we’ve inspired you with some interesting, fun, challenging, thought-provoking things to do while in iso.

Have fun, stay safe, stay home and take care of each other.


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27/May/2018

A book by people like you

Chronic pain is a common and complex problem that affects 1 in 5 Australians.

It’s exhausting, a bit tricky and hard to know where to start.

Fortunately, with our book Managing your pain: An A-Z guide you can start anywhere!

Medications, sleep, laughter, fatigue, breathing. Think of it as a ‘choose your own adventure’ to getting on top of your pain.

The book emphasises practical strategies tried and tested by people like you – consumers living with musculoskeletal conditions. There are also a bunch of quotes and useful insights to keep it real.

You might also like…

We also have a helpful kids pain book called The worst pain in the world. It’s beautifully illustrated and loaded with practical advice for children living with pain (not just those with arthritis). It also gives kids who don’t live with pain an understanding of what their friends or family are going through.


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21/Jan/2018

The final instalment of our staff summer reading suggestions.

Enjoy the mix of fiction and non-fiction, and hopefully you’re inspired to read something new, different and exciting.

And finally, in the words of Voltaire “Let us read, and let us dance; these two amusements will never do any harm to the world.” Enjoy!!

One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcia-Marquez
This is Latin American magical realism at its finest and my favourite book. It’s absurd, funny, poetic and haunting.

National Geographic Rarely Seen: Photographs of the Extraordinary
I love a good photo book, and Nat Geo probably does it the best. Every page you turn you marvel and wonder at the extraordinary things to be found in our world. Stunning.

When Breath Becomes Air – Paul Kalanithi
This autobiography is by a 37 year old neurosurgeon, dying from stage 4 lung cancer. In his book, he reflects on life – what it means to live a meaningful life and what makes life worth living. It’s a hard book to read at times, but extremely moving. Have a box of tissues nearby when you read this one.

1666: Plague, War and Hellfire – Rebecca Rideal
If you lived in England in 1666, yikes! You were at risk of contracting the plague, England was at war with the Dutch, and the Great Fire of London devastated the city. But alongside this, some amazing progress was being made in art and science. This historical text is brought to life in vivid detail through the eyes of some of the important people of the time – from Newton to Milton to Wren. It’s a fascinating read.

Working Class Boy and Working Class Man – Jimmy Barnes
Jimmy Barnes is one of Australia’s most enduring music legends. With his first book he explores his childhood – and I’m amazed he lived through the violence, drugs and excess to become a force in the music industry. I’m halfway through his second book, and it’s as gripping as the first. I love the insight these honest and gritty books give us about Barnesy.

Quick & Easy 5-Ingredient Food – Jamie Oliver
Our last book is a little different, in that it’s a cookbook. However several of our staff recommended it for our summer reading list. And really, summer is the time when many of us have a little extra time to have fun and experiment in the kitchen. In typical Jamie style, the recipes are easy to follow and delicious. And by using 5 key ingredients, as well as staples from your cupboard, it’s cooking that many of us can do…no muss, no fuss.


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10/Jan/2018

Our staff love to read, so we had to make this a 3-parter. There were just too many books!

If any of these books have tickled your fancy, go out and grab a copy from your local bookstore, from the library, from a friend or download a copy onto a mobile device. Also check out your local op shop – it’s amazing what books you can find there.

Finally, if you love the sound of these books, but you aren’t much of a reader, check out subscription audio book services such as Audible, or the audio book collection at your library.

Goldfinch – Donna Tart
I loved it. Couldn’t put in down. Fabulous characters and you can’t wait to see what happens to them. It’s amazing story told through a young teenage boys eyes as he comes to terms with a life changing event centred around a classic art piece in the back drop of the underworld art trade – never cried so much as I did with this book.

What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions – Randall Munroe
If you love the absurd, with some maths and physics thrown in, you’ll enjoy this book a lot. The author answers strange, wacky and wonderful hypothetical questions he’s sent by his readers. So if you’ve ever wondered ‘if the moon would change colour if every person on Earth aimed a laser pointer at it?’ or ‘what would it be like if you travelled in time to the same place 1,000 years ago, 10,000 years ago, or forward in time 1,000,000 years?’ The author gives detailed explanations and reasoning. Lots of interesting, nerdy fun.

Tex – Tex Perkins
Aussie bad boy of rock Tex Perkins – front man of Beasts of Bourbon and The Cruel Sea – writes about the good, the bad and most definitely ugly times of Aussie rock’n’roll. Getting into this book took me back to the days of going to pubs and letting lose to Tex’s gravelly voice as he belted out everything from punk to country.

Fishing for Stars (The Persimmon Tree #2) – Bryce Courtenay
Such an interesting fictional telling of a story about life, love, politics and business across Vanuatu and Australia. Like all Courtenay books it’s at times heavy, at times light-hearted. Thoroughly recommend.

The Savage Detectives – Roberto Bolagno
The way that Bolagno writes, particularly this book, makes me feel alive and in love with life.

Wind up Bird Chronicle and IQ84 – Haruki Murakami
Both of these books are totally out there in terms of story line!

One is about a guy whose wife goes missing and then shuts himself up in a well where he can strangely melt into the walls and end up in other places. The other is about an assassin who takes a wrong turn and finds herself in a parallel universe where there are two moons and strange doppelgangers. All in all, I couldn’t put either of those down.

The Farseer Trilogy – Robin Hobb
Hobb is an amazing fantasy writer. I love the story, the characters and especially her writing style, really rich and engaging. You can escape into these books for hours. These books have heart and she shares life lessons she’s learnt through the characters and the events that happen to them and how they deal with them. This makes them memorable and some of the best fantasy I’ve ever read.


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02/Jan/2018

Summer’s here!!

For many of us, this’s a time to recharge, relax and rest so we’re in the best possible shape to begin the new year. Well, once all the holiday festivities are out of the way!! And what better way to relax than to get caught up in a book?

Our staff have provided brief descriptions of some of their favourite reads. From fiction to non-fiction, fantasy to biography, there’s something here for everyone. Enjoy!

The Snowman (Harry Hole #7) – Jo Nesbo
I’m a big fan of the Jo Nesbo Detective Harry Hole series – and his latest is a ripper, literally. There’s nothing like a chilling Nordic thriller to while away the hot summer days!

Meditation: An In-Depth Guide – Ian Gawler & Paul Bedson
I loved this book because it explains how meditation is used to help heal pain and illness and it’s a practical guide which is great for someone who is a bit overwhelmed by the practice of meditation i.e. ME! A great tool to help you get in touch with your inner peace.

Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams
This series is an oldie, but such a goodie. Laugh out loud craziness as Arthur Dent, a hapless Englishman, is rescued from Earth seconds before it’s destruction to make way for a galactic freeway.

1491: Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus – Charles C. Mann
1491 is a fascinating and creative non-fiction story, about the exploration of pre-Columbian Americas, and the indigenous people who lived there. It is an enjoyable and captivating read, filled with adventure and insight.

The Dresden Files – Jim Butcher
Love this fantasy book series. What’s not to love about Harry Dresden, a wizard private investigator in modern day Chicago. They’re fun, fast-paced books that’ll have you reaching for the next book in the series in no time.

Books That Changed History: From the Art of War to Anne Frank’s Diary
This is a beautiful book to read. It features over 75 of the world’s most celebrated, rare, and important books – from 3000 BCE to the modern day. Each book is thoroughly explored, with gorgeous photos and insightful text. If you love books, you’ll adore this one.

The Couple Next Door – Shari Lapena
‘You never know what’s happening on the other side of the wall’ I just finished this psychological thriller. Didn’t want it to end.




Musculoskeletal Australia (or MSK) is the consumer organisation working with, and advocating on behalf of, people with arthritis, osteoporosis, back pain, gout and over 150 other musculoskeletal conditions.

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