Shedding light on living with a chronic illness
“I believe in the power of encouraging others. I believe our experiences are what connects everyone as human beings. When we are willing to share our experiences, we realize life isn’t just about us.”
Chapter of Hope
“Hope is not just a glorified wish. It’s excited anticipation. I’m looking at what God has planned next for my life, and I have hope for others that their lives can be enriched because of what God is doing. This chapter of my life has taught me that nothing is impossible with God. Too often, we have big mansions of a life, but we only live in a couple of rooms. We live in our 9-5 job room, family room, and sleep room. There is still so much available to us, but we cover it with drop cloths and lock the door. I believe that we are supposed to explore all the rooms: our emotions, our interests, etc. and find out more about who we are. I’ve been discovering my whole house.”
Allison Hampton was born and raised in Indianapolis. As an undergraduate, she majored in Communication Studies and Theatre Arts at Indiana University. She recently graduated with her Master of Divinity. She enjoys writing and being active in her church where she leads a women’s connect group. Allison has lived with multiple chronic autoimmune diseases for over 10 years. She is a firm believer in the fact that her diagnosis does not define her. She’s doing her best to find the joy that remains instead of focusing on the limitations that it may cause.
Allison is passionate about sharing the hope of Jesus Christ. She wants everyone living with a chronic medical condition to understand that “Life isn’t over. You are still full of purpose and there’s a reason that you're here. You don’t just have to live to the next doctor’s appointment.” Allison has made it her mission to share her experience with those who receive serious diagnoses. She wants them to know support is available so that they can move forward. This led her to write the book, Chronic Faith, which details how to navigate chronic medical conditions from a faith standpoint. The book encourages readers not to just rely on their feelings but to trust God’s promises. Allison shares some details about chronic illness that doctors won’t understand because they haven’t been through it. This year has also seen Allison launch a YouTube channel, Living Chronic Faith, to share words of encouragement. Her YouTube channel is only the beginning. She also created a website community and educational resource, https://livingchronicfaith.com/, that provides support to those dealing with chronic illnesses. On December 12, Allison is hosting a conference titled Hope Unlimited 2020. The featured speaker is a researcher from Duke University who will discuss the relationship between faith and health. Allison hopes that this conference will educate and empower attendees for the journey ahead.
When asked what advice she would give to those who are in a situation and need hope, “Don’t quit. If you give up the first time, you’ll never find the opportunity that’s waiting for you. Love everybody. You don’t have to agree with everybody, but it takes more energy to hate and disagree. Your time is better spent finding commonalities and what you can offer to each other. Choose positivity. At the end of the day, it’s up to you how you are impacted by a situation because you choose how you perceive it.”
NataLeigh Mosley is Hope’s senior editor. When she isn’t reading or writing, she enjoys traveling and cooking for her family.
