Navigating Work When You're Chronically Ill

My Conversation with Sara Willoughby (and an Opportunity!)

What is my vocation?

Should I go to college?

What are my skill sets? What do I enjoy doing?

In the spring of last year, I graduated high school at age 23, and the questions about the future that had been bouncing around in my head were at an all-time high. I had thought about going to Liberty University Online, and I had a handful of credits that I could transfer towards an interdisciplinary studies degree there.

But I also realized that I didn’t have the stamina for college. The online classes that I’d taken to graduate high school and simultaneously earn college credit were self-paced, and I knew I needed to focus on weaning off medication and continuing to heal my nervous system.

That’s when I thought back to a conversation I had with my friend Sara earlier that year. Sara hosts a free online conference for chronically ill Christians, and I had volunteered as a moderator for the winter conference in 2024. Afterwards, I’d applied to be more involved, and during the interview, I told Sara that I was looking to gain experience I could put on my resume and that I was trying to figure out what my skill sets were as I thought about future work opportunities.

Sara is an intuitive person who asks great questions, and she decided to offer me a position as the sponsorship coordinator for the upcoming (now past) conference in January of 2025. She also mentioned that other staff members had used their experience at Diamonds to become virtual assistants.

I learned and grew a lot in that role. I gained experience in making videos, coordinating giveaways, writing pitches to potential financial sponsors, writing contracts, and working with the email and social media teams to fulfill advertising obligations for our sponsors.

I enjoyed it so much that I signed up for a marketing class and opened an LLC, LEW Marketing. I now work close to 20 hours a week in a job that I can do from the comfort of my home while still taking care of my health.

You can learn more about the story in a 20-minute interview I had with Sara. We even delve into finding worth when you can’t work or do school—something I struggled with for a long time when my illness was much more serious and debilitating.

And I have good news! Diamonds is hiring volunteers. Do you have a passion for serving the chronically ill? Do you want a flexible volunteer job that you can even do from bed? Well, Diamonds might be the right fit for you.

You can find more information and apply here.