Welcome to Musings on Medicine & Healthcare; A Nurse's Point of View
My newsletter that explains, entertains, and educates from a nurse’s point of view.
Welcome to the first issue of my newsletter. Thank you for taking the time to read it. My name is Marijke. If you aren’t sure about how to say my name, don’t worry – you’re not the first to wonder!
Although the name and variations of it are fairly common in Europe, it’s not in the U.S. and Canada. Marijke is a Dutch name - the “ij” combination is the giveaway. A simplified phonetic spelling is muh-rye´-kah/keh. You can listen to an audio clip of how to pronounce my name, if you’re curious.
Now, let me answer an important question. Who am I and why should you spend some of your valuable time reading what I write?
My answer to “who am I” depends on when you ask. I wear many hats.
Professionally, I’m a registered nurse and a health and medical writer. My professional site is Medhealthwriter.com. I write and edit health information and articles for the public and professionals. I’ve written for many well-known outlets and organizations as well as smaller ones that needed my magic touch for their content.
I coach new writers, redesign websites, make videos, interview subject matter experts, and so much more. I am also the co-founder of Decipher Your Health, along with California-based emergency medicine physician Karin Molander. You’ll be hearing more about that exciting project in future newsletters because it’s one that we’re so passionate about.
When I’m not writing or coaching or thinking of how I can help people learn about their health, I’m a quilter and fabric artist. I design and make quilts for me, people I love, and donations (lots!). Many of my quilts go to Bread & Beyond, an organization in Montreal, where I live. They help people who experience homelessness. One of their projects helps people get a fresh start in a new home. I also make videos about quilting and I write about it from time to time.
And last but not least, I’m a wife of almost 40 years, mom to three wonderful adult children who make me proud every moment of the day, and grandmother to a delightful little one who lights up our lives.
My new newsletter
With all that going on, why start a Substack newsletter? Because I think there is space for a newsletter that helps people understand health issues easily and quickly, in a friendly and casual way. I want to present this from a nurse’s point of view with a nurse’s opinion.
From time to time, I might get a bit personal by sharing my own experiences with the healthcare system. I’ll probably write about topics like my multi-year struggle to find a treatment for burning mouth syndrome, which makes my life so difficult sometimes. I’ll address mental health issues too and how poor care for mental health is just exacerbating the problem. But it’s not all about struggles. I’ll also write about the wins too. Because we all need a good win once in a while.
So whether I convinced you to do so or you found me by chance, thank you for subscribing. Pull up a chair, grab a beverage of choice, and have a read when my newsletters come by. Don’t forget to tell others about it so they can subscribe too, because the more the merrier!
Fantastic!