Living with a Chronic Illness

We who live with a chronic illness know how everything can change in one day. Diagnosis changes everything. At the same time, the change has already been happening for a long time, as we have likely lived with the disease for years before we hear the confirmation of that diagnosis.

I don’t dwell on it but I can’t escape it, either. I can’t escape what the disease has done to my body. I am unable to simply forget that it’s there, and I’m still not comfortable with all of the aspects of living my life with an incurable disease. I’m learning my way through every day, every setback, and every progression.

With progressive illness, the losses just keep mounting, and life becomes a constant exercise in adaptation. I'd never have thought I'd have the capacity to adapt to the level of disability I'm now experiencing. I know that I don’t give myself enough credit for doing as much as I do - MS and all. As Christopher Robin said to Pooh, “Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”