Aussie Sarah Snook Wins Big At Tonys & The True Cost Of Invisible Illness

For people living with invisible illnesses, staying healthy isn't just about yearly check-ups - it can mean spending their life savings just to feel okay.

Through Chloe Sargeant's decade-long journey to diagnosis, we examine the true cost of chronic illness... and why sometimes all someone needs is for you to listen rather than offer advice.

And in headlines today A judge has thrown out Justin Baldoni's $400 million countersuit against Blake Lively and his $250 million defamation claim against The Times; An Aussie journalist has been shot with a rubber bullet while reporting on the LA immigration raid protests; Greta Thunberg has been taken by Israeli authorities who boarded the aid ship she was on headed to Gaza; Aussie actress Sarah Snook has won a Tony Award for her roles in The Picture of Dorian Gray

 THE END BITS
Support independent women's media

Check out The Quicky Instagram here

Mamamia studios are styled with furniture from Fenton and Fenton visit www.fentonandfenton.com.au

GET IN TOUCH
Share your story, feedback, or dilemma! Send us a voice note or email us at [e-mail]

CREDITS

Hosts: Claire Murphy & Taylah Strano

Audio Producer: Lu Hill 

Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:10):
You're listening to a Muma Mia podcast. Mumma Mea acknowledges
the traditional owners of land and waters that this podcast
is recorded on.

Speaker 2 (00:20):
Hi.

Speaker 1 (00:21):
I'm Claire Murphy. This is Mumma MIA's twice daily news podcast,
The Quickie. Imagine being in constant pain, only for doctors
to tell you it's all in your head. Now, imagine
that on top of all that pain, you are also
essentially spending your entire life savings on just staying alive.
This is the case for many people who live with

(00:43):
invisible chronic illnesses. Before we get into that, let's head
to the Quickie newsroom for your latest headlines. Tuesday, June ten,
a judge has thrown out Justin Baldoni's four hundred million
dollar countersuit against Blake Lively and his two hundred and
fifty million dollar defamation lawsuit against The Times. The lawsuit,
which was filed by Baldoni and the Wayfarer parties against

(01:05):
Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds, alleged extortion and defamation.
The judge saying that the Wayfarer parties have not alleged
that Lively is responsible for any statements other than the
statements in her complaint, which are privileged. He went on
in his opinion to state that the Wayfarer parties have
alleged that additional statements accusing Baldoni of sexual misconduct, and

(01:25):
that the Times made additional statements accusing the Wayfarer parties,
have not alleged that Reynolds Sloane, who is Lively's pr representative,
and The Times, would have seriously doubted these statements, or
that the Times would have seriously doubted these statements were
true based on the information available to them, as is
required for them to be liable for defamation under the

(01:45):
applicable law. Lively's lawyers have released a statement saying, as
they have said since day one, this four hundred million
dollar lawsuit was a sham and the court saw right
through it, saying they look forward to the next round,
which is seeking attorney's fees, treble damages and punitive damages
against Baldoni and the other Wayfarer parties who perpetrated this
abusive litigation. The lawsuits came in the wake of oppressed

(02:09):
to or the ch showed the stars of the It
Ends with Us movie when not on speaking terms, claims
that Lively had hijacked the movie from Baldoni, who was
also its directors, started to emerge, as did stories of
Lively being a mean girl. Lively claims Baldoni launched a
smear campaign against her. Baldoni's legal team can still amend
the claims if they choose to move forward with the lawsuits.

(02:30):
An Australian journalist has been shot with a rubber bullet
in the US Nine Network. US correspondent Lauren Tamasi was
reporting on the protests against immigration raids in Los Angeles
when the camera pans to capture images of the National
Guard ordered in by US President Donald Trump, attempting to
control the crowd. One of the officers then seems to
turn and fire in her direction. Please be aware this

(02:53):
audio contains the sounds of gunfire.

Speaker 2 (02:55):
Firing rubber bullets at protesters moving them on through the
heart of La Green.

Speaker 1 (03:07):
Senator Sarah Hanson Young condemned the shooting, saying US authority
shooting an Australian journalist is simply shocking, is completely unacceptable
and must be called out, saying the Prime Minister must
seek an urgent explanation from the US administration. Deputy Prime
Minister Richard Marles said he was glad to hear mis
Tamasi is okay, but said at the end of the day,
how America operates its own immigration system is really a

(03:30):
matter for the United States, and how it manages its
own internal law enforcement is also a matter for the
United States. This isn't the first time an Australian journalist
has been caught up in US police operations. In twenty
twenty seven, Network correspondent Amelia Brace was also shot with
a non lethal round and hit with a police truncheon
during the Black Lives Matter protests. The Californian Attorney General

(03:52):
Rob Bonta has revealed that the state is planning to
sue US President Donald Trump for ordering the National Guard
troops into La to face the protesters, Bonta saying it
tramples on the state's sovereignty and that he'll ask for
a restraining order to halt the deployment. California Governor Gavin
Newsom told MSNBC that commandeering a state's National Guard without
consulting the governor of that state is illegal and immoral.

(04:16):
The crowds who'd blocked off a major freeway spread graffiti
on city Hall and other buildings, and set self driving
cars on fire, were hit with tear gas, flash bangrenades
and rubber bullets. The protesters have now dispersed as police
declared unlawful assembly, arresting anyone who refused to leave. Trump
claims if he had not sent the deployment of National
Guard troops, the city would have been completely obliterated. Israeli

(04:39):
forces have boarded a ship of aid headed to Gaza
and detained the twelve activists on board, including well known
climate campaign at Greta Thunburg.

Speaker 3 (04:47):
My name is Ghetha Timber and I am from Sweden.
If you see this video, we have been intercepted and
kidnapped in international waters by the Israeli occupational forces or
forces that support israel I. Urge all my friends, family
and comrades to put pressure on the Swedish government to

(05:07):
release me and the others as as soon as possible.

Speaker 1 (05:10):
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition or FFC, had organized the delivery
of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip in protest against
Israel's blockade of the enclave and their conduct during the
now twenty month war. The FFC released a statement saying
the activists had been kidnapped by Israeli forces that grited
Thumburg had been kidnapped by the Israeli military, and that

(05:31):
the ship had been unlawfully boarded its unarmed civilian crew abducted.
Lawyers for the crew have accused Israel of breaching international
law as they were intercepted in international waters, saying you
can't deport them for entering Israeli legally because they weren't
in Israel until Israeli forces took them there. Israel's Foreign
Ministry called the shipment a public relations stunt, posting on

(05:52):
social media that it was a selfie yacht of celebrities
that was now making its way safely to the shores
of Israel. Ozzie star Sarah Snook has won a Tony
Award for her multiple roles in the show The Picture
of Dorian Gray. Snook made her Broadway debut in the production,
adding this second award for her perform moments after she
also picked up an Olivier Award in London in twenty

(06:13):
twenty four. She has been the front runner of this
award season for her portrayal of twenty six different characters
in this one show. Snook said during her speech that
this means so much for a little Australian girl to
be there on Broadway. She paid tribute to the show's
Ozzie writer and director Kip Williams, who was also nominated,
and thanked her husband Dave Lawson, calling him her soulmate,

(06:33):
saying he's been brilliant holding down the fort and keeping
their family together. That's what's happening in the world today. Next,
we get a grip on the reality of invisible illnesses.
If you're a doctor and someone tells you they're in pain,
you would do your best to get to the bottom
of it, right But what if you can't find out

(06:55):
why even though you've run the tests, or what if
you've had minimal training in that particular field of medicine.
What if you've been taught that women's pain is quote
unquote normal. When you can't physically see an illness or disease,
getting people to take it seriously can be tricky. Today
we hear about Chloe, a young woman who in her

(07:15):
own words, spends her life savings on staying alive, and
what she wants us all to know about invisible illness.
Taylor Strano reports.

Speaker 4 (07:23):
Have you ever wondered how much it costs to stay
healthy beyond a yearly dentist checkup and the gym membership
that you occasionally use. For some people, staying healthy or
feeling okay is quite literally a matter of spending their
life savings, like for Chloe's sergeant. Chloe has felt as
if she's been shouting in to avoid, desperate to be
heard and to be taken seriously, while doctors dismiss her

(07:47):
as hysterical and over dramatic, telling her it's on her head.
Sometimes her pain is so severe that she can't even
leave the house. It's taken more than a decade for Chloe,
who's now thirty three, to finally get an answer fibromyalgia.
She describes it as feeling like you have a severe
flu that aching sensation throughout your entire body, except that's

(08:09):
how she feels every single day. Recently, sharing her story
on SBS Insights during an episode exploring invisible Illness, Chloe
opened up about her deeply distressing journey to diagnosis.

Speaker 5 (08:21):
One of my favorite terms that got used for me
was hysterical, over dramatic, It's all in your head. From
my experience, I feel like the medical system isn't quite
set up to deal with people like me.

Speaker 4 (08:35):
When Chloe finally received her diagnosis, the feeling was bittersweet.
On one hand, after years of being gaslitch, she was
relieved to have a word for what she was experiencing,
but at the same time, she's just been told she
has an incurable illness that will never go away. The
impact of chronic illness doesn't just stop at physical symptoms.
It steeps into everything, from relationships, to work, and especially finances.

(09:01):
As Chloe puts it, her body is her savings account.
When she shows her able bodied friends how much she
spends monthly on managing her condition, they're shocked, but, as
she says, simply not the choice. Sometimes she has to
make impossible decisions, choosing between seeing a dentist or a psychologist.
The costs aren't just financial either. She's lost friends and

(09:24):
partners along the way, and while she understands why some
people find it hard to stick around, she wants them
to know that people with chronic illness are tired of
it too. For those who have someone with chronic illness
in their life, Chloe has one simple request. Don't jump
in with advice, just be a friend. Sometimes when she's

(09:46):
having a rough day, all she wants is for someone
to listen and acknowledge how much it sucks. And if
you're not sure what to say, just ask. Chloe says
people with chronic illness are usually pretty happy to answer questions.
They prefer that to receiving unsolicited advice or being told
what others think is best for them.

Speaker 1 (10:11):
Thanks for taking the time to feed your mind with
us today. The quickie is produced by me Claire Murphy
and executive producer Taylor Estrano, with audio production by Lou Hill.
Mum and MEA Studios are styled with furniture from Fenton
and Fenton. Visit Fenton and Fenton dot com dot Au