I believe that God has chosen me, as He has chosen the many other people out there who live with Chronic Illnesses, because we are strong. We are fighters. We are warriors. And, like Katy Perry says:: "...I am a champion and you're gonna hear me roar."
So prepare to now hear me roar...
It saddens and angers me when I see people accusing individuals who legitimately have Chronic Illnesses of faking their disease or faking their experiences. Certainly there are folks out there who DO fake being sick and they need help and, in their own way, are ill themselves. However, they cause a myriad of issues for those of us who battle, struggle, and fight for our lives and our wellness each and every day. They are the ones who make you scratch your head and wonder "why would you want this life?"
Now, not only do we have to struggle with our family, friends, co-workers, bosses, and doctors' doubt that we are sick, but now we have to deal with individuals attacking us on social media all because we are sharing our journeys. Sharing them for awareness, sharing them to help the newly diagnosed, sharing them for more national funding, sharing them for support.
And then evil happens...
Personally, I have not been attacked or questioned on the validity of my Gastroparesis, Peripheral Neuropathy, (mild) POTS, Chronic Migraines, Chronic Vertigo, and IBS. The worst that has happened to me is that someone didn't like how I sited something on a blog I posted and said I was, basically, a copycat. However, almost daily, I see friends on Instagram and Facebook being attacked or talked about by individuals questioning the validity of their illness or events they've experienced.
I have seen people accuse girls of faking Cystic Fibrosis when they CLEARLY have breathing treatments daily and CLEARLY have breathing difficulties. I see people accuse a young lady of not only NOT truly having actually miscarried early in pregnancy, but not having the painful illnesses that can sometimes happen afterward. How can you DO that to someone?!?! I've seen people going after someone with Gastroparesis that is tube fed and making statements about her being fake or an attention seeker.
Why crush the butterfly when it's down..?
When you accuse a Chronically Ill person of being an attention seeker or out to obtain money or question their illness at all, it's like crushing a beautiful butterfly when it's already down. Why break--something beautiful--when it's already down? It just makes you a coward. You can hide behind your computer or your phone with your anonymous name or fake account all you want, but we all know the truth that lives inside of us and what we go through daily.
My suggestion is this:: instead of attacking, do research. If you think someone is an imposter, research them. Cross reference their facts on their disease(es). Cross reference their pictures--trust me, pictures get stollen. Instead of being nasty and making baseless statements, check out what you know first and then make an informed move after that.
The Chronic Illness community sticks together, so we will, one way or another, always see if another Warrior is being talked poorly about. I commend all of those Warriors who have boldly stood up for those who have been talked about, beaten down, and doubted. I pray for those who feel the need to fake an illness to try and join the Chronic Illness/Spoonie Community, it's not one you want to join. And I also pray for those who attack us Broken Beautiful Butterflies. We know the value of our lives and the expense of our illness(es), we don't need to waste time and energy on you. Take your negativity elsewhere. Finally, to the caregivers, family, and friends who support a Chronic Illness Warrior, may you be blessed and happy in all that you do!
