The Medical Zebra

ID for accessibility: Photo of couple lovingly holding hands.   There is a myth that needs to be broken.  That myth is that people with a disability and chronic illness shouldn’t fall in love or be in a relationship.   I have had chronic health conditions since my childhood. In my teen years my conditions became more severe and multiplied, I developed the rare condition of trigeminal neuralgia (though I would not receive my official diagnosis until almost a decade later).   I remember the fear that struck me, "Who would want to be with someone with so many health conditions and who may not even be able to kiss them?"   From an early age, I was taught I was a burden and undeserving of love. I was a "burden" to my parents, my pastor, my Sunday school teacher, and even to a supposedly loving god.    Once my health conditions started showing up and getting worse, I was then a burden to a future spouse, if I should even date or find someone who wanted t...

  I recently attended a workshop that the nonprofit that I volunteered hosted. It was a writing workshop and I had never done one before. So I didn’t know what to expect. I ended up enjoying it immensely.   There is something about hearing the words of other survivors that have gone through the same or similar things as you have. It’s incredible listening to their words as they read them aloud. It was emotional and empowering.   In the workshop it was suggested that we write something that came to mind by choosing one of the following prompts. Prompt One was “I remember when and I always imagined” and Prompt Two was “I don’t remember if, but I always imagined”, I went with the first one.   Now although I write sometimes, hence this blog, I don’t fully consider myself a writer. I have my moments where I have words that I want to share, so I do. I’m a sharer of words. Okay so maybe I am a bit of a writer after all.   After we were encouraged to write whate...