Living Chronic: Conversations That Changed Me, Lessons That Saved Me.
Living Chronic reveals the emotional, physical, and deeply human journey of navigating chronic illness and finding purpose on the other side. After a medication reaction triggered a cascade of life-altering conditions, Brandy Schantz began searching for answers in a medical system unequipped to see the whole person. What emerged was a hard-won blueprint for survival, community, and self-advocacy.
Through intimate storytelling, conversations from the Living Chronic podcast, and lessons learned in the trenches of uncertainty, Living Chronic explores how people rebuild when their bodies break, how identity shifts when life narrows to a before and after, and how connection becomes a lifeline. It highlights the ingenuity of patients forced to become their own experts and the quiet resilience found in everyday acts of persistence.
Brandy Schantz's Living Chronic is a powerful and deeply human exploration of what it means to navigate life with chronic illness in a world that too often fails to understand, support, or accommodate those whose disabilities are invisible. Through compelling storytelling, hard-earned wisdom, and unflinching honesty, Brandy illuminates both the personal and systemic challenges faced by millions of people living with chronic conditions.
What makes this book especially important is its ability to move beyond individual experience and reveal broader lessons about resilience, self-advocacy, community, and belonging. Brandy gives voice to people who are too often overlooked while offering hope, practical insight, and validation to those seeking a path forward.
As a longtime leader in the disability community, I believe Living Chronic is an important contribution to our collective understanding of disability, health, and human dignity. It is a book that deserves to be read by individuals living with chronic illness, family members, healthcare professionals, employers, policymakers, and anyone committed to building a more inclusive society.
— Dr. Kirk Adams, PhD
Executive Director, Institute for Sustainable Diversity and Inclusion
Managing Director, Innovative Impact LLC
Immediate Past President and CEO, American Foundation for the Blind
“Living Chronic is far more than a memoir about illness. It is a powerful guide to rebuilding a life when everything you thought was certain falls apart. With remarkable honesty and hard-earned wisdom, Brandy Schantz illuminates the realities of chronic illness, medical trauma, and the often-overlooked power of self-advocacy.
Blending deeply personal storytelling with practical insight, she offers readers a roadmap for reclaiming identity, purpose, and agency in the face of life's greatest challenges.
Whether you're navigating a chronic condition, caring for someone who is, working in healthcare, or simply facing life's unexpected hardships, this book will leave you feeling seen, empowered, and reminded that your story is far from over.”
-JT Thibado,
Author of Bitch, You’re Not Stuck… You’re Evolving
Living Chronic is a courageous, compassionate, and deeply needed book. Through powerful storytelling and hard-earned wisdom, Brandy Schantz shines a light on the often invisible journey of living with chronic illness. More than a memoir, this book is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and a call for a more humane and holistic approach to healing, something I appreciate having been through my own 'living chronic' journey.
For anyone who has ever felt dismissed, misunderstood, or alone in their health struggles, Living Chronic offers validation, hope, and the profound comfort of being seen. Brandy's honesty, vulnerability, and unwavering commitment to advocacy make this an essential read for patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals alike.
— Robyn Vogel, Author of Come Back to Love: A Path to Healing (Koehler Books, Feb 2026)
Living Chronic is Brandy Schantz’s riveting story of her journey through life-altering illness and ongoing recovery. It combines elements of a mystery, a medical thriller, and an essential self-help manual for anyone with a chronic illness or anyone who knows someone struggling with serious health issues — in other words, all of us. An incredible first memoir from an incredible woman.
Beth Solomon
Author, From Fired to Fabulous and Georgetown Dish
Living Chronic refuses the tidy comeback story. Brandy Schantz has navigated a broken system and lived to map it. Honest about the grief, generous with the lessons, and unwavering in the truth that you are so much more than your diagnosis.
— Erin Dohan, author of I Think I'm Ready to Talk