March 18, 2010: Part 5: Zines about Medicalization, Sickness and Health: About Dave's Disappearance: An interview with Dave Roche.

My friend Sonia Edworthy gave me a copy of About My Disappearance #1 two years ago when I had just moved into a lovely apartment on Creighton St. in Halifax with my friend Mynah. I displayed it on a little shelf on the brick wall in the kitchen. I tried to read it, but I had just started dating someone who had colitis, and it was just too close. I wasn't ready for it. About My Disappearance is about Dave's body, and diagnosis, having Crohnes. He wrote it for his friends, to explain why he disappeared, and didn't return calls. You couldn't find him at shows, because he had Crohns and his body was doing scarey things like loosing tons of weight, not digesting food, and lots and lots of diarreha and pain.

I picked up the zine again this February (2010), and devoured it quickly. I read it a second time, and emailed Dave to see if I could do an interview with him. And he said yes. And now I get to share this interview with you.

About My Disappearance now has three issues. They're all fantastic. Dave started this interview off by reading a short excerpt from About My Disappearance #3. Dave read about Sickness and Shit and Confusion. I asked Dave to talk about the relationship of depression and sickness. Dave also talked about what it means to finally have an accurate diagnosis. Dave talked about writing about things we don't think people (especially our friends) won't want to hear, because actually how important it is to write about this stuff. Dave talked about what it meant for him to revisit stories after his body was feeling better, and the importance to write about with the most honesty, without asking for pity, and just offering explaination, and advice for how to offer support that is really helpful.

Dave says " Writing helped me realize that sickness is not something you must do battle with. Its something that is a part of me. Its not that if I don't beat it, it doesn't mean I'm not strong enough,"

We ended with some very appropriate critiques of the medical industry... Listen to this interview, and email Dave Roche for a copy of his zine: poodrow@hotmail.com.