J.G. Chayko

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RA Blog Week: Medicine and My Spoonful of Sugar

By jgchayko | September 23, 2018

Medications become a part of life with rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory autoimmune conditions. They are meant to control our pain and inflammation and are prescribed by our specialists with the intention of improving our quality of life. Sometimes things don’t go smoothly in our interactions with our doctors, pharmacists and insurance companies. I am…

Changing the Colors of Arthritis Awareness

By jgchayko | September 16, 2018

September is the beginning of change – the air is crisper, the morning dew thicker, the lush green leaves of summer mutate into a vibrant burnt orange, the rains return and at night, the wind howls as we snuggle under our blankets. Gone are the idle days of summer, now it’s back to work and…

A Destructive Beauty

By jgchayko | August 26, 2018

The summer heat arrived in July and thrust our lush west coast into a drought. Forest fires began their deadly run through the province. Every year we are forced to cope with massive fires that ravage our desiccated land under a relentless heat. Our summers are stronger, hotter and longer; our winters colder, moist and…

Predator Summer

By jgchayko | July 8, 2018

Seagulls have nested peacefully on our building’s rooftop for several years. I wake to their haunting cries, I feel the crisp ocean air, and smell that hint of brine. Each call is distinctly different – they cry when the clouds crowd in, they coo and laugh to their fledglings, they squawk out warnings and messages…

Just Live

By jgchayko | June 10, 2018

Every month, it seems, there is a call to action to advocate for a specific disease. Social media explodes with ribbons of various colors representing different types of illness. There are posts on victories, stories of defeat, facts, statistics and figures. It’s a grand opportunity to add our voice, share our experience, invite people into…

Restorative Moments

By jgchayko | May 20, 2018

I love my yoga sessions. I love how the feeling of stretch revives my stiff joints, and I enjoy the calm fluidity of moving from one pose to another. Depending on how I feel, I either do a short course of yoga or a long one, but no matter how long my session is, my…

The Relationship between Community and Story

By jgchayko | April 21, 2018

The first time you hear the words “Rheumatoid Arthritis” it’s a shock. Even after a few years of living with the diagnosis, the words still hang in the air, sizzling above your head like the lingering buzz of electricity. A diagnosis of RA, or any chronic illness, can be challenging and bewildering – new medications,…

Black and White

By jgchayko | March 4, 2018

I always thought the world lost its color in winter. The brilliant blue of the ocean transforms into an intense grey, the sky is covered in somber cloud, the trees are stripped of their lush leaves. The earth appears to sleep in the stillness, waiting for the first rays of spring. When the snow comes,…

Ride the Waves

By jgchayko | January 21, 2018

It has been a stormy beginning to 2018. The waves along the west coast are infused with a ferocious appetite, smashing against the black rocks as they charge towards the shoreline. Fat gray clouds bursting with cold rain provoke them, pushing their savage swells over the mountains of rock, and rousing the old lady from…

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About me

J.G. Chayko is a writer, actress, and international arthritis advocate who’s been involved in theatre for more than 30 years and has published poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction.