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There are few things as complicated and challenging as interpersonal relationships. The older I get, the more difficult it is to stay in touch with those I once considered to be friends. Supporting someone with a chronic illness will never be an easy task, just as living with one is…

We express ourselves in many ways: through our hairstyle, our clothing, our facial gestures, our voice, and how we choose to articulate our thoughts. One symptom of myasthenia gravis is dysphonia, which results in an unreliable and fading quality of voice. Another symptom is having difficulty with speech, which…

Falling in love is never quite as graceful as they make it out to be in the movies. In reality, things tend to get awkward, uncomfortable, and sometimes downright confusing. When you add chronic illness to the mix, dating just seems to get additionally complicated. I met my boyfriend a…

When you have come to survive a few brushes with death, nothing becomes more evident than the value of your time. To most people, the 24 hours in a day just are not enough. Chronically ill people are forced to be both full-time patients and full-time functioning human beings, meaning…

When you take numerous medications a few times per day, you learn to understand that these medications may have side effects. Luckily, you are usually able to anticipate these side effects’ arrival, thanks to an educational pamphlet accompanying your box of pills or an informative Google search session. Prednisone…

I have often felt that despite not having a terminal illness, I was in a certain way born to die. I also believe this is the reason I am able to live a happier life than most of my healthy peers. I know how important it is to appreciate…

Weakness is not something most people are extremely open about. We tend to hide any sign of weakness or imperfection from the public eye. We choose to keep weaknesses personal — unless you become chronically ill, especially with a disease notorious for causing extreme muscle weakness. That tiny bit of…

I purchased two hand-reared, peach-faced lovebirds during my first round of IV Cytoxan (cyclophosphamide) treatment. Recovery from that treatment can be quite rough. Honestly, I just needed something to distract me from the horror I was facing at that time. And that is what these birds did. I fell…

People have different ways of coping with having a chronically ill person in their life, just as we sick folk have our own different ways of coping with being chronically ill. Some people rise to the occasion, some people respectfully fade away, and some even fall in love with us.