2026 CW&AC WINNERS

Poetry

1st Place - "I Am a Hallway" by Lorraine Fae

Lorraine Fae is a twenty-seven-year-old poet and lover of depth, emotion, experience, and connection. She lives with POTS/dysautonomia, PMDD, and hypermobility and is passionate about holistic health, conscious recovery, and the mind-body connection. In her free time, she loves reading, writing, hiking, yoga, spiritual practice, art, and nature. More of her work can be found on Instagram @lorrainefaepoetry and she hopes to publish her first complete poetry collection in the near future.

2nd Place - "Dancing with Heart" by Katerina Lea

Katerina wrote this poem based on her own experiences of going from being healthy to living with chronic pain. She has Charcot Marie Tooth Disease (CMT). And hopes this poem will encourage those who feel they are unable to pursue their passions due to chronic illness. Dance has been such a part of her life since she was a young girl. And still is! Katerina is a dancer, instructor, and writer from California.

3rd Place - "Glitter" by Ari Ira

You can see back when I wrote this poem, I felt strongly that tachycardia was an important unexplained symptom. I wished someone could physically look at my heart and figure out what was different about how it beat. Eventually, my doctors did some version of this, and I was diagnosed with POTS, which helped answer over a decade of questions, and gave me access to treatment that helped me walk independently again. I wish I could go back in time to the version of myself who wrote this poem in my phone notes app while being stuck in bed. I would tell myself it got better.

Prose

1st place - "An Ode to the Waiting Room Chair: A Young Person’s Perspective on Tackling Chronic Illness" by Anonymous

The author is a high school student living with POTS. After years of unexplained symptoms, misdiagnoses, and countless hours spent in waiting rooms, they found themselves confronting not only chronic illness but also the uncertainty and isolation that often accompany invisible conditions.

2nd place - "Morning Shadows" by Lilliana Johnson

"Morning Shadows" is a short, creative nonfiction piece about living with chronic pain and fatigue. It is a little bit depressing, but it’s real. It’s autobiographical. Living with POTS, EDS, MCAS, and probably things I don’t even know about is hard. It’s near impossible. I wrote this piece to make the non chronically ill understand what it is like to live with these disorders.

3rd place - "More Than The Chair" by Amber Dennis

I’m an accessibility advocate from Perth Western Australia. I am passionate about making Australia and the world more accessible and therefor inclusive for people with disabilities. When I’m not advocating for myself or others with disabilities you’ll find me at the gym, watching movies or planning my next adventure. I’m a proud mum and dog mum, I am a firm believer that everyone deserves equal opportunities to experience the best life has to offer.

Art

Overwhelmed

Sadie Alverson

I am a teenager who was recently diagnosed with POTS, and I also happen to have a horrible fear of needles. The piece represents the difficulties that go into getting diagnosed with an invisible illness. I spent two years feeling fatigued and pushing through vacations, thinking it was normal to wake up shaky or to feel faint after walking a couple of blocks. I went through a lot of medical testing, but because of my smaller build, most doctors just thought I was malnourished. It felt so frustrating to have someone make assumptions rather than acknowledge my feelings. The needles in my arms represent the many blood tests that caused anxiety and a lack of hope. In the end, none of those tests led to my diagnosis. It just took finding a doctor who would listen.

Fatigue

Graciana West

I created this piece with watercolors, colored pencils, and hot glue. I made it to represent the chronic fatigue that comes with having Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. I personally experienced such bad fatigue that my days were mostly spent in bed when I made this. I felt like part of me was always stuck to the bed or the couch whenever I got up.

Pressure at POTS Pier

L.M. Henry

Having chronic health conditions sucks more than a taste tester at a lollipop factory! I have POTS, Asthma, Fibromyalgia, Migraines, Chronic Fatigue, Gastrointestinal issues and Neurological Issues and a whole lot of other conditions. I knew what it was to not be sick and now I know what it is like to be a handicapable woman in a wheelchair who needs a whole lot of help every day. I don’t really have grip strength so I held the markers and crayons between my knuckles and drew this picture. With chronic conditions you might look fine but you have a hurricane brewing inside you at all times. Plenty of people will be quick to say nasty things about you but plenty of wonderful people will be there with love and support. Keep smiling and be proud to be you!

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