What Is a ‘Spoonie’?

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by Wendy Henderson |

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If you’re active on the Internet, particularly in groups and forums regarding chronic illness, you’ve definitely noticed the term “spoonie” being thrown around.

MORE: Despite there being approximately 300,000 people in the U.S. who have scleroderma, many people are either completely unaware of the disease or are confused as to what the disease actually is.

Spoonie is a term coined by a chronic illness blogger, who used spoons to demonstrate how much energy a person with a chronic illness has each day, and how much is used up doing simple tasks like washing or getting dressed.

As this video by Hot Pink Sun explains, the symbolism stuck and spoonie is now a widely used term for anyone who has a chronic illness,

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