Anne Lipscomb is a former award-winning public relations manager who developed multiple chemical sensitivity in 1993. She became one of only a handful of people in the state of Washington to receive workers’ compensation for illness related to sick-building syndrome.

“When I could finally contemplate a vacation abroad, after 14 years of being forced to live housebound, visiting Paris quickly rose to the top of my wish list”. I longed to experience the rich sensuality of the city after having been deprived of much stimulation and pleasure for so many years. And after having spent much of my childhood in Africa, I yearned to rediscover my adventurous self, which had been dormant for far too long ».

« Paris had once been a very big part of my life, beginning with my time there as a college exchange student, and then later as a vacation destination where I visited family and my French host family. In many respects, the value that the French place on relationships, community, the pleasures of life, and the senses aligns more closely with my priorities and who I am - especially with who I have become since my illness.

My dream of living in Paris for part of each year emerged when I discovered, on my holiday there, that my health fared much better in the city of lights - in part because the climate suits my constitution and the level of chemicals in their food and air is lower than in Seattle, among other things.

But my Paris dream also emerged because illness and disability changed my priorities. As I reflected upon how sickness had deprived me of so many experiences, I realized there were still things in life I desired that might yet be possible. Having a magnificent moment in my life became a priority, which is why I was willing to invest huge amounts of effort and money to make Paris possible.

Also, a central challenge of my sickness continues to be keeping my life from becoming a vacuum, isolated and sealed off from the outside world, so I saw living in Paris as a wonderful way to enlarge my world and replenish myself.

In the end, going to Paris may not have felt like the relaxed, extended vacation that I thought it would be, but it certainly is a grand adventure that brought rich texture and a new dimension to a life that has been so deprived of so many experiences”.

Read more about Anne Lipscomb - http://annelipscomb.com/

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