Suzanne is a Graphic Designer with over 20 years experience of design for print and front-end web design. She has a rare form of Vasculitis called Behcet’s disease that was diagnosed 10 years ago after 23 years of search for answers as to what her collections of symptoms were. She lives in Cambridge with her partner Neale and their 9-year-old daughter. You can find more info about her here.
Q:Hi Suzanne, please tell us a little more about your health issues if you wouldn’t mind? Could you also tell me a little about the work you do?
A:I have a rare auto-immune disease called Behçet’s Disease. It is a form of Vasculitis – which means inflammation in the blood vessels. During a flare-up of the condition, I have joint pain like RA and have very large mouth ulcers. Fatigue is an issue, even during periods of remission I have to balance my energy levels carefully.
I am a Graphic Designer and I have been freelance since having my daughter and getting my diagnose of Behçet’s disease. Freelance enables me to juggle Family life and living with a very unpredictable condition that often means nasty drugs and no idea how I am going to respond or react to.
Q:How did this lead to you going freelance rather than traditional employment?
The full-time job I was doing when I was pregnant and got my diagnosis was 40 miles from home. There was just no way I could drive that far to and from work and fit it around a new baby and needing to regularly attend hospital.
Q:How do you find freelancing helps you manage your health issues?
A: Freelancing enables me to pace myself, and the projects I am working on. If I need to nap in the day or attended a hospital appointment I can just work around that. And at times then I have been very unwell I have been able to pause work, or not take on more work until I was was well enough. This avoided me feeling like I was letting anyone down.
Q:What top tips would you offer for those with chronic illnesses who are considering going freelance?
A:Do your research. Would you work from home or a co-working space? Do you have other freelance friends you can share working space with so you don’t feel too cut off or isolated?
Q:Any tips for organising your day and pacing when being self-employed with a chronic illness?
Allow yourself toward in a way that works for you. You don’t need to fit into the 9 to 5 pattern. But also bear in mind that you will come across people who just don’t get it. They will think that because you work at home you aren’t really working or might get annoyed if you say you need to work at the weekend to catch up because you’ve been unwell. But that is really their problem, not yours.
Q: Any tips for budgeting/managing income when being freelance with a chronic condition?
A: Always keep money in reserve. If you don’t need something urgently wait until you have some spare cash. Don’t compare your income to others who aren’t dealing with health issues. You can’t work in the same way as them. Money isn’t everything, flexibility and fulfilment can count for a lot when you work in a job you love with a chronic illness because it often means you can step away from being unwell for a while.
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