I’m watching “Apple Cider Vinegar” on Netflix and I loved that they included the experience of a woman dying of cancer who’s trying to ascribe to Belle Gibson’s snake oil lifestyle tips.

(SPOILERS FOLLOW)

It’s kinda wild to see how much snake oil we are fed, as “forever sick people”. How it isn’t enough to look down on our state of disability and health and financial insecurity, there needs to be something worse and even more embarrassing and expensive that we are meant to endure. We' are the targets of cons and scams. It’s not like crip time isn’t financially costly enough as it is… why not make us pay for the delusion of having the hope that we may have, indeed found a miracle when everyone else in the medical community who is experienced and well versed and researched are regretfully explaning to us that there is (almost) none.

I loved the love story between the cancer patient and her investigative journalist partner who’s always by her side until she asks him not to be because she needs to deal with the illness alone.

And I love that even when she goes to the furthest depths of some south american jungle with all the cash she has put aside, waking up from what seems to be a deep herbal drug-induced trans, there’s always credit card machines being waved in front of your face.

I loved the storyline of the honest sick influencer who really tries a natural alternative route but is lying to herself about her symptoms until it is too late to go by the medical route. I love how she clocks the fake sick influencer really quickly. I appreciate that her voice isn’t heard because people prefer a pretty package rather than the truth.

Watching the show as a FSP was affirming just as much as it was infuriating and I wonder what were your reads about it…