Am I Actually High Maintenance?A Love Letter to Living with Chronic Illness

📚Lecture: "Am I Actually High Maintenance? A Love Letter to Living with Chronic Illness"
🎤Speaker: Tara Hillier (Board of Directors, Celiac Ottawa)

Ever been told you’re "too much," "too complicated," or "too high maintenance" just because your body comes with a lot of instructions?

Join us to explore the messy, fun, and frustrating reality of navigating life and love with chronic illness. We’ll unpack the myth of being "high maintenance," why your body is often treated as one big TMI, and how the simple act of advocating for your needs can be misunderstood as being difficult.

You can expect relatable stories, honest conversations, and practical insights about boundaries, relationships, self-advocacy, and redefining what it means to take care of yourself. Whether dating, building friendships, or simply learning to exist unapologetically, this session offers a reminder that being “high maintenance” just might not be as bad as it seems.

Tara Hillier has been living with celiac disease for more than 20 years and brings both lived experience and a passion for advocacy to her role as a Director on the Board of Celiac Ottawa. With a diploma in Social Service Work and a BA (Hons.) in Public Policy, she is dedicated to helping people make sense of the often overwhelming world of chronic illness. She believes that while chronic illness is serious, talking about it doesn't always have to be. 

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Agenda

6:00pm - Doors open: Grab a seat, order drinks and food and settle in.

6:55pm - Host Introduction

7:00pm - Lecture starts

7:45pm - Q&A with Audience

8:00pm - Socialize and make friends, grab drinks