Community Corner

Q&A: Kent Blogger with Brittle Bone Disease Tackles 'Shockumentary'

Meet Jane Hash, a Kent resident working to enlighten people about disabilities

Jane Hash is not your typical blogger.

The 38-year-old Kent resident was diagnosed with Osteogenesis imperfecta, or Brittle Bone Disease, at birth.

The rare genetic disorder means Hash's bones are incredibly susceptible to breaking. It has left Hash dependent on friends and caregivers for some of life's most basic tasks — like caring for her cat.

But Hash's exterior, even her adolescent sounding high-pitched voice, bely her sharp-witted intelect.

To spread the word about her disorder and other disabilities like hers Hash took on the task of shooting a documentary five years ago that profiles her life, which is filled daily with interviews for her blogs and podcasts with authors, activists and others championing those like Hash who don't let disabilities slow them.

The Madison, OH, native went on from high school graduation in 1993 to earn a Business Management Certificate from Lakeland Community College in Kirtland, Ohio in 2001. In 2006 she earned her certification as a family herbalist, and in 2007 she earned her certification as a nutritional herbologist as part of her efforts to manage her condition.

Last year, she became a Certified Natural Health Professional.

In this Q&A, Kent Patch talks with Hash about the upcoming release of her documentary Plain Jane the Shockumentary. Click here to watch the trailer. 

Kent Patch: What was it like growing up with OI?
Jane Hash: Compared to what? LOL. I was never the target of bullying and always had plenty of friends.  The teen years were hard because even though there were boys who wanted to go out with me, we were all too self-conscious to know how to deal with that.  As I got older and learned to appreciate my physical differences though, dating quickly became a non-issue.

Patch: Tell me about your home life. Who do you live with? What's a day in the life of Jane like? 
Hash: My old, toothless cat and I have our own little house here in Kent.  I have many friends and caregivers who come and go around the clock to make sure we are both well taken care of.  Neither of us ever feels alone or isolated which, is an issue that many people with disabilities struggle with. Fortunately, a ‘day in the life of Jane’ is always different.  I may hold myself up in my home office for a few days blogging, podcasting, and interviewing folks around the world via Skype.  Other days are spent in the kitchen aka laboratory, assembling tinctures and infused oils or grinding herbs to use in one of my remedies.  Occasionally I can even be found enjoying some hand-drumming while lounging skyclad in a field somewhere that permits such lounging. 

Patch: I know you've declined some of the treatments for OI, such as the invasive bone surgeries, so tell me about how you've managed your condition holistically and how that evolved into the classes you're teaching. Also, in the documentary trailer I saw a clip of you lifting weights. Can you talk about how and why you exercise?
Hash: It’s a classic ‘ripple in the pond’ story.  In being my only caregiver when I was a child, my Mother had a better understanding of what my body could handle than any doctor did.  She rejected the invasive treatments from the beginning.  The one occasion that she did concede to allow doctors to surgically ‘fix’ my left arm, resulted with me having lifelong problems such as severe curvature of the spine and lung damage.  I would have been better off with a crooked arm.  Live and learn.When I became an adult, I didn’t feel as good as I thought I should so I started educating myself on how to live a holistic lifestyle.  It’s not just a matter of what you eat…living a holistic lifestyle involves making healthy choices in every area of one’s life.  The first few things that I eliminated from my life included cable TV, white bread, alcohol, and dating ex-convicts.  Within the first few years of making more healthy choices, I lost a third of my body weight, was able to stop taking asthma medication, which I had been on since the previously mentioned incident that damaged my lungs, and I started to feel peaceful.  People in my life took notice of these changes and started asking me for advice.  The rest is history.Exercise is important for everybody.  I do it to promote circulation, flexibility, and improve bone density.  I don’t think I push myself too far.  My goal was to be able to lift two 1lb weights at once…one in each hand.  To work up to that goal I started with small baby food jars and gradually added more water to them to make them heavier.  When I felt my body was ready, I got some weights.  I know 1lb may not seem impressive but I only weigh 38 pounds.

Patch: You strike me as quintessential Kent, that is someone who's outgoing, involved in the community and has an incredibly diverse range of interests. Tell me about your friends and some of the things you do for fun. Where's your favorite place to hang out in Kent?
Hash: One of the things I love most about living in Kent is that there is always something music/art oriented to do.  Although I don’t go every week, I like to go to the Zephyr pub on Tuesday Bluesday when my friend Ian Penter performs.  When out of town friends come to visit, I like taking them to Standing Rock art gallery because there is usually something fun going on.

Patch: When did you start writing/blogging?
Hash: I started blogging about three years ago.  My goal was simply to learn how to use blogs and social media proficiently so that when Tom Trainer and I finished ‘the movie,’ we would be able to effectively promote it ourselves instead of hiring someone else to do that.  My first blog, entitled “Adventures of the Gimp Avenger,” was just supposed to be my ‘practice blog.’  The title is offensive and inappropriate and I never in my wildest dreams imagined that it would lead to me becoming a respected and sought after Blogger. I guess it pays off to be offensive and inappropriate sometimes. My blogs haven’t exactly changed over the past couple years but I have diversified and departmentalized a bit.  I quickly learned that all my Readers are not as enthusiastic about all of my work as I am, so I divided my work up into separate blogs.       

  • “Adventures of the Gimp Avenger,” continues to be home to my more revolutionary and/or controversial opinions.
  • The “HASH IT OUT WITH JANE” blog is dedicated to my podcast, “HASH IT OUT WITH JANE.”  This is where I post information about my guests and programming schedule. 
  • I have another blog that I use to share wellness information called “Holistic Vitality Educator.”  I also post my schedule of holistic oriented speaking/teaching engagements here
My motivation to start blogging shares the same title as the movie itself, “Plain Jane The SHOCKUMENTARY!” This is where folks can find up-to-date information on Tom Trainer’s documentary about me.  Right now the film is in the hands of several film festivals and is expected to be available on DVD early next year.  We are allowed to show it minimally in Ohio and as soon as we get the funding to make that happen, I’ll let you know.  If any Readers are looking for a good cause to donate $1,000, we’d love to hear from you!

Recently I started blogging for a company called “The Mobility Resource,” where I get to blog about a wide range of topics, which is really fun. I have interviewed a lot of really amazing people since I’ve become a Blogger/Podcaster and it’s hard to rank who is the “most high profile” or my “favorite.”  There is one Actress though who I absolutely would love to see get her web TV show, “My Gimpy Life,” on a mainstream television station, Teal Sherer.  She was fun to interview and her sense of humor combined with her physical disability is something that needs to be thrust into tv-watchers faces to wake them up. 

Patch: In an interview, you mentioned your recovery from alcoholism. How long have you been sober? Can you talk about why you started drinking and how you were able to recover?
Hash: I have been alcohol-free since 2011! I’m open to sharing details about this but I don’t want to spoil the movie for you.  Let’s do this again after the film’s release if you still have questions. 

Patch: What is, if there is anything, the one thing that Brittle Bone Disease has kept you from doing or experiencing in your life that you absolutely wish you could do?
Hash: OI makes traveling the great outdoors challenging but I’m fortunate to know an awesome Videographer who gives me virtual tours of places that I can’t physically get to.


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