I am pretty sure I can vouch for the majority of human kind when I say: most people do not enjoy hospitals. Yes, there are some (crazy) people out there that do. But there are also many people who put up with hospitals for themselves or for loved ones. And even many of those who work in hospitals do not love hospitals themselves. They love helping people and trying to make a difference.

As someone who often is stuck in the confines of a dim, boring hospital room for weeks on end, let me just say more often than not, hospitals are the absolute last place I want to be. And most people I know who have had to spend time in the hospital are known to agree with me on that.

It’s not because I am a klutz who is constantly breaking or spraining something. (I mean, I am a klutz. I’ve just been lucky enough to never break anything). Or that I’m constantly getting a cold or catching the flu. It’s isn’t because I have cancer or leukemia. And it’s not because I’m a life flight risk or because I have an eating disorder.

The thing that always gets me down about all of this — aside from spending heaps of hours I’m never going to get back, in the hospital — is that I’ve known people. All who have had to spend time they didn’t want to in the hospital for the reasons listed above. And it sucks. No matter what the reason is.

My own reason I get to waste away days and weeks in the “death castle,” as my friends brother puts it, is because I have a chronic/terminal disease. Joy, right?

I have cystic fibrosis, but like everyone else, it’s just something I get to deal with on a daily basis. We all have different things we have to deal with. Some may be “bigger” than others, but it doesn’t mean that it isn’t big to us.

If you know someone who spends a lot of time in and out of the hospital, just know while they may do it all the time, doesn’t mean it gets any easier or any less scary or boring or awful. It sucks. Each and every time. Even if it’s something they’re “used” to.

If you’re able to, try and see if there’s anything you can do for your friend or loved one that can maybe make their stay in hell a little easier. No matter what it is, I can tell you they’re going to love and appreciate any effort you try and put in to help them out. Even it’s just as small as a text or Facebook message saying you’re praying for them or wishing them the best and that they make it through OK and that you’re there for them. Something that small can actually mean the absolute world to someone who is sitting in the hospital wondering something along the lines of, “Why me?”