Member-only story
Living with chronic illness
From the start of my teens to now I have lived with a chronic ear condition that has required two major surgeries and requires me to be hands on with my right ear in a way most people will never appreciate. It is one of those small things that almost killed me when I was 15, and I find it impossible to talk to people about it because unless your body has done a number on you it is difficult to relate. Added to this has been my immune system taking special interest in my hair leaving me with alopecia, and every time I push myself hard have to life with a couple of days of fatigue. Chronic illness comes in many forms and it is not something we culturally feel comfortable talking about, especially when you do not appear outwardly disabled. Not that I would ever considered myself disabled, just that my body is not the same a most peoples, and I have to adjust myself to the world to cope.
Even writing this is a confession on my part. I am used to just going on with my body, accepting that I will pay for being fit and active with a certain level of tiredness masked by my outward energy. To look at me is to see illness, I choose not to use wigs, hats, or scarves to hide my lack of hair, and as such I have to move through the world being different from others. Accepting and understanding this has been the hardest part of losing my hair, as we all see hair as a core part of ourselves. What makes it more…
