I was thinking today about how healthy people regard those of us with long term and complex chronic illness and I realized we have so much more in common than they think…

For example;

You [healthy people]: Don’t like talking about Chronic illness and health problems…
Me: Me too!

You: Find all this talk of illness and health problems boring…
Me: Me too!

You: Feel uncomfortable and don’t know what to say when it comes to another medical test or medication…
Me: Me too!

You: Wish you didn’t have to put up with changing plans and making allowances for sickness and flares…
Me: Me too!

You: Find a lot of these ‘health issues’ embarrassing and you prefer to avoid talking about them at all cost…
Me: Me too!

You: Don’t really want to have change your life to fit in with, or make allowances for health issues…
Me: Me too!

You: Wish ‘someone’ would just hurry up and find a cure so all this chronic illness ‘business’ would just go away… “I mean…How hard can it be for goodness sakes!?’
Me: Me too!

You: Find chronic illnesses very tedious and a great waste of time and resources…
Me: Me too!

You: Don’t really want to call and keep in touch in case there is a chance that illness will come up in the conversation.
Me: Me too.

You: Don’t want to know or discuss all the personal and intimate details of what things can happen with Autoimmune Illnesses… It all seems so awful, embrassing and unpredictable etc..
Me: Me too.

You: knew NOTHING about these illnesses with funny names and stuff… it all seems like hard work… prefer not to have to deal with it all.
Me: Me too!

You: Was always told that chronically Ill are just probably depressed or something strange/weird like that…
Me: Me too!

You: Prefer to talk about things that are fun and make you feel important, useful and successful
Me: Me too!

Only…

I don’t have the luxury of turning away, denial, walking away, ignoring or being ignorant anymore.
I have to live the truth of it every day of my life.

I know that its not all just a mental or attitude problem.
I have to suffer the pain and fear and still work hard to fit into the world’s expectations of people like me.
I have to live surrounded by people who look down on people like me and make us feel like we are unwanted and annoying.
I have to fight to feel worthy, human and meaningful to the world and myself.
I have to rebuild my life everyday and cope with the most difficult medications, side effects, symptoms and life changing events.

I have to choose to believe in myself and fight for myself and all those like me.

The biggest difference is that I CHOOSE to fight and hold my head up high, and feel proud of how I handle my health challenges… despite all it does, and all it is… and I choose to live with hope!

Gentle hugs to all the fighters out there!!

Trish