Zine: Semibold 10

Way back in 1998, I found Semibold #4: The Music Issue at Quimby’s in Chicago. It was Kathy Mosley’s personal music history, from her first “record” (an Archies flexidisc cut from the back of a cereal box) to current day, including memories of bands, albums, radio stations, live shows, and all the music that helped shape her. This issue inspired me to write my own music-related one-shot, Speaking Phairly: Growing Up with the Music of Liz Phair in 1999. (Now long out of print, don’t bother asking.)

Kathy is back with a new issue of Semibold, her first since 2003! After reading it, you’ll understand why it took so long between issues. Semibold #10 is Kathy’s experience with Crohn’s Disease, which she was diagnosed with in 2004. Over the years she tried a wide range of dietary changes, drugs, acupuncture, more drugs, yoga, and even more drugs to try to alleviate the pain, but was constantly sick and miserable. Finally in 2009, she had surgery to remove part of her terminal ileum, requiring the use of a temporary ileostomy, and a second surgery to stitch the two halves of the intestine back together after they had a chance to heal.

Kathy tells the entire story in graphic and yet entertaining detail, and never once - repeat, NEVER ONCE, is she a heap of self-pity.

For example, the description of her temporary ileostomy:

“And yes, the ileostomy. It was unpleasant on many levels, the most obvious being, “Ew, I’m pooping into a bag attached to the front of my body.” But gradually I learned to deal.”

Even when she has an accident and meltdown first changing the bag on her own, she seems to shrug it off: “I did get better at it eventually, and after a lot of trial and error, I developed a system that worked for me, and I never had another big mess like that again.”

What impressed me the most about Kathy’s medical ordeal is not that she survived all the unknown pains, misdiagnoses, the surgery, the ileostomy, and the removal of the ileostomy (or “takedown” as it is technically called), it’s that she bravely and fiercely advocated for her own damn health, through the mountains of paperwork, screwed up prescriptions, missing pages from supposedly faxed medical documents, piles of insurance forms and shitloads (sorry) of bureaucracy. As someone who has difficulty calling doctor’s offices to schedule tests, much less call back for the results, and has let certain health issues slide due to terror of the medical and insurance industries (and being diagnosed with any sort of “pre-exisiting condition”), it is inspiring how Kathy took charge of all the detritus of treating her Crohn’s Disease, with help from her incredibly supportive family and friends. I don’t know if I could go through what she did without just wanting to give up.

I’m just so happy for Kathy that she can just eat raw fruits again, get to work in the morning without having to take a rest break on the way, go to concerts, hang out with friends, and just live her life without having to have contingency plans or pack an extra pair of pants.

Rounding out the issue is an interview with Julie Anne Rhodes (ex-wife of Duran Duran’s Nick Rhodes), who also has Crohn’s Disease and now works as a personal chef. There’s a list of all the books Kathy read in 2009, which she said “were invaluable in helping me forget my own personal woe”. She read Infinite Jest TWICE in 2009!

Semibold #10 is one of the best zines I have read all year, a great personal memoir.

Is it selfish to hope Kathy keeps publishing now that she’s feeling better?

Semibold #10 is available for $3 from Kathy Moseley, 1321 N. Milwaukee Ave. #403, Chicago IL 60622. You can send payment via Paypal to im.semibold@gmail.com. (PDF only copies are $1.50 via Paypal.) There’s also a Semibold blog.