You are not alone.
Chronic Illnesses are rather difficult. For starters, it is not always obvious that someone who has one, has it. They are often referred to as “invisible illnesses". I have Cystic Fibrosis. In short, CF is a genetic disease that causes my body to produce natural mucus extraordinarily thick, which causes other problems in the body. Because of this, I almost always have a cough. No, I’m not contagious. I’m just trying to breathe but sometimes, people look at me like I’m the walking plague.
Because I am lucky enough to have a generally mild case of CF, I’m not on oxygen and I have a healthy weight. Therefore, to the general public, I appear “healthy” at first glance. Most chronic illness sufferers are like me, and seem healthy at first. This makes it hard to explain to others that we are, indeed, quite sick.
“But you don’t look sick!”
I get that, A LOT.
“Will you get me sick…?”
I also get that, A LOT. The answer is no. So please don’t act like I will.
Truth is, I’m a superhero. Holding a job, going to school, having a social life, and maintaining a relationship with my fiancé, Zach, all while managing my disease, is not easy. Everyone out there suffering from any kind of chronic illness is a superhero in disguise. Think about Clark Kent. He looked totally normal at first glance, but take off those glasses and suit and add some spandex in there, and BOOM. Superhero. While I don’t happen to have to wear brightly colored spandex, I still am able to conquer life as it’s thrown at me.
Having a chronic illness, or any other kind of disability, is not something that should be viewed as life-limiting. We’re just special enough to have a little extra test to see how strong we are. Or, like my friend Colten once told me, “You’re life is like playing guitar hero on expert mode, while everyone else is on medium.”
