Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean I’m not disabled. Sure, we all have our limitations, but you don’t understand. Nor do you care to. Simply because I don’t walk with a crutch or use a wheelchair doesn’t mean that nothing is wrong. I don’t live my life the same way you do. My entire day, each and every day, is ruled by the spoon theory; and sometimes I barely have enough "spoons" to leave my dorm room. You have no clue about the pain I endure, and I doubt that you care to. You don’t see my disability because it doesn’t exhibit itself through sight. It’s something that can only be experienced. You can’t see the struggle my body undergoes to simply perform the tasks you might consider “meanial” and “everyday.” You take these actions for granted. You never worry about your organs not performing the way they ought to. You don’t question whether or not your heart is going to beat in a normal rhythm or if your next breath will be deep enough to supply ample oxygen to your brain so that you don’t pass out. But what if you had to?
What if you did have to think about these things? What if you had to try to explain your rare, but life threatening, medical condition to people on a daily basis; only to have them scoff in your face? How would that feel? That’s the feeling hundreds of thousands of people experience every day. Don’t you realize that YOU are the one brushing them off? Furthermore, why do you continue to do so? Does it make you feel good about yourself? Because it shouldn’t. Personally, I think refusing to empathize with another human is one of the lowest behaviors man is capable of. Wouldn’t you agree? Just ponder it for a moment. Think of it in these terms: someone with a serious medical issue has trusted you enough to confide in you the details of their condition, and what do you do? You shrug it off. Why do you do that? I’ll let you answer this question all by yourself. You see, people you come into contact with on a daily basis are struggling with so-called “invisible disabilities.” You may not see them, but I assure you, they can be felt. What if you tried to understand? What if you thought about how blessed you are to be able to go about your day without fear of what may happen to you as a result of performing daily tasks? How much would you be encouraged by simply thinking about how lucky you are to be in good health? What would happen if we all simply tried to understand what those around may be going through? Let me tell you; big things would happen. Big enough things, that we could impact our little corner of the world. We are the key to spreading understanding. It starts with us. Whether you’re seen or not.
