HOPE

Anyone inflicted with a disease often questions their purpose in life. You begin to wonder if your existence on this earth was created solely to suffer. All of your ambitions and dreams turned into a never ending wrestling match against the fierce competitor of a chronic illness. An illness that started off as an annoying interference and manifested into a ginormous bully. A bully that slowly sneaked up behind you and knocked you straight on your ass, before you even had a chance to comprehend what was occurring.


Disease has a way of alienating you from other people. It's as though sick people and healthy people live on two different planets, and a rusty old transmitter with fuzzy interference is the only means of communication. Even though the physical evidence of disease can separate you from everyone else, it is the profound mental and emotional damage that weighs heavy on your heart.

It is really difficult to watch everyone around you go on with their lives when you are stuck in a holding area. Having Facebook as a constant reminder that while all of your family and friends are getting employed, engaged, or married; you are still in a never ending waiting room just to have your body go back to functioning somewhat normally. While all of your peers went off to college and made long lasting memories and friends, you were struggling to make it through a day of pain in the hospital. Days that turned into weeks, weeks that turned into months, and months that turned into years; the harsh reality of your life.

Then an even harsher reality of questions based off of uncertainty and insecurity haunts your thoughts every day.  Will you ever be well enough to complete the educational goals you had since you were a child? Will you ever be able to attain a career and achieve the ultimate success you've always dreamed of? Will you ever be able to live without depending on anyone else like you always promised yourself you would?

Can anyone look past your illness and get to know the real you? More importantly, will someone ever accept you just the way you are? Dating is difficult on its own, dating when you feel damaged from disease seems almost impossible.

Almost impossible being the key words. There aren't many things anyone with a disease can plan out and know with certainty, but there are a few amazing traits of a person with a chronic disease that a healthy person might never have.  One may think hiring a person with an ailment will make a bad employee because they might me unreliable due to pain and have many sick days. But when hiring a person who has experienced a chronic world of suffering, you are guaranteed an exceptionally hard working person that will never give up.  A person with unbelievable determination that will force themselves out of bed in spite of their agony, and give you every ounce of energy they can rally. A person that despite waking up with two swollen knees, will still work the shift in its entirety even if it means hobbling around all day in great pain.

When it comes to relationships, one might think an ill person will make a bad companion because they might not be able to do everything you can or dare even say, be a burden. But when making the effort to accept that person for exactly who they are, you are guaranteed an extraordinarily compassionate person. Someone who will always appreciate your love and acceptance, supplying an unconditional love in return. Someone who will always take the time to enjoy all of the little things in life because they now value every day on this earth and will never take anything for granted.

Every single person struggles with their own tribulations and demons. But just imagine for one moment what it would be like having to deal with all that you do every day, and dealing with a chronic disease on top of that. People inflicted with diseases genuinely know what it is like to lose control and sacrifice time, which is precious and ever fleeting. They more than anyone are deserving of some normalcy by being able to accomplish their goals, have success, and fall in love.