Hi, a 40-year-old writer from in Ireland. I'm married, and I'm a mum to a beautiful little girl.

I've been battling chronic Lyme disease and co-infections after being undiagnosed - and disbelieved - for over 25 years.

By the time I was finally diagnosed, the disease had already spread through my brain, my blood, and my joints. It has taken away parts of me I never thought I'd lose. I now live in constant pain, housebound, and no longer able to mother my daughter the way I long to. I'm no longer the same woman my husband married just six years ago.

Despite how severe my illness has become, I've been labelled a hypochondriac. I've been dismissed by the very system meant to protect me - the NHS. They've refused to give me the help I so desperately need, forcing me to seek treatment privately, at a cost of thousands of pounds we simply don't have.

I began writing Silent Chaos as a lifeline. A poetic journal of everything this disease has taken from me - and everything I'm still holding on to. It's my way of screaming quietly, of giving voice to the parts of my story that were ignored, or too painful to speak aloud.

Thank you for reading. For believing me. For standing beside someone the world keeps looking away from.

- Celine 🖤