#165 Uncut Audio w/ Jojo Siwa

Hiya "We're having gay sex" team! I hope you're all well!! Sorry this has turned into a really long comment!! I understand Ashley must get soooo many Dm's whilst still working full-time and living with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and chronic pain (which I live with also alongside other comorbidities of EDS) but I've subscribed for a few months now to the £23 a month pateron but I don't know how to claim my piece of Merch. I'm so sorry to be a nuisance but if someone could maybe drop me a message to let me know how I can I'd really appreciate it. Thank you so much! The fact JoJo was able to go through all the verbal abuse (which from clips that JoJo has shared I don't think I could call it anything else!!) from the dance mom days and still be able to be herself and feel connected to her true self with the support of a loving family is truly remarkable and something she should be so very proud of! Ashley, what you said at the very end of this episode made me cry!! 3 years ago my gastroparesis (one of my comorbidities that I live with) became terminal when my stomach and intestines failed completely and I now get "fed" through my heart by something called Total Parenteral Nutrition (I also can't drink any fluids at all as well as not being able to eat, when I say they failed I mean they failed, spectaculaly failed! I think they just thought "fuck this shit we're OUT see ya later suckers!" 😆😆) whereby I have a 2 litre bag of nutritionally complete fluid that passes through my heart and then my body absorbs what it needs too and I was given a 50/50 chance of surviving 3 years which at the time I told my consultants I was going to invite them all to my 80th birthday party and I won't bore you with all the details but things have changed quite significantly since then and whilst I still wanna prove everyone wrong I've also had to accept that actually maybe they do know what they are talking about and the stages of progression that you go through I'm experiencing faster then they thought I would (I'm 34 now but 35 in June and I had my child before I got diagnosed with EDS and then everything else as my health declined) and this podcast has for me, emotionally and mentally seen me through some of my darkest and hardest nights (especially when I am in hospital for weeks/months at a time for example in 2022 I had severe sepsis 7 times, it just felt like I was living in the hospital and going home was like going on holiday. It was pretty fucked up) and I don't know how I could ever find the words to describe how grateful I am for that and to (the "core crew" and the amazing guests you have on) say thank you for it. Are there the words? They are lost on me if there are!! You've all helped me find a 'happy place' when it felt like my heart was breaking and that is a truly priceless gift you are putting out into the world. I was too embarrassed in the DM's I've sent to tell you that seeing you live (On England pretttttty please!!) has been on my bucket list since I started watching your comedy online but it absolutely is, I call it my "fuck it" list though because most of the stuff on there my doctors would throw a fit of they saw so instead of it being about me doing things before I kick the bucket I instead think "I probably shouldn't do this but aahhh FUCK IT". The fact that you're so honest about what it is like to live with chronic pain I promise you is helping to strip away the shame that the majority of people living with chronic disease and chronic pain who listen to the podcast experience because of the limitations that it puts on our lives and how many times you have to say "no" to people and things when every part of you. wants to say yes. It takes a certain kind of bravery to be that open and honest and is what everyone of any age needs to hear but especially younger queers living with chronic disease and disability. Ok I'm embarrassed this has turned into such a long comment for anyone to read but absolutely mean every word of it and I hope for them they don't know/can relate to what I've said but think if any chronic chronies (do you use the word "chronies" in the states??!!!) did read it they'd 100% agree with it. Keep it up guys!! You rock!!

Being fairly far north of 30, I didn’t really know what Jojo Siwa was about but she’s awesome!! Also feel like I should probably just die now if this is what the 19 year olds are these days…

Jen