When I was a senior in high school, I was diagnosed with an immunodeficiency, which is a lifelong, chronic illness. Not only that, but my father also deals with type one diabetes, which is another lifelong chronic illness, among many other health issues. Growing up surrounded by recurring diseases, I have come to learn that it is very difficult to be sick all the time, especially when you don’t look sick. Here are the top 12 things I believe people with chronic illnesses want everyone to know.

1. We Are Trying Very Hard to Lead a Normal Life

2. We Require A LOT of Sleep

3. We May Not Look Sick, But We Are

4. Our Illnesses Won’t Suddenly Go Away Like a Cold

5. And We Can’t Just Take Medication to Make It Go Away Either

6. If There Was Actually a Cure, We Would Know About It

7. If We Had a Choice, We Would NEVER Cancel Plans

8. But That Doesn’t Mean We Want You to Stop Asking Us to Hang Out

9. Just Because You Haven’t Heard of Our Condition, Doesn’t Mean It Isn’t Real

10. It’s Extremely Difficult to Describe What It’s Like to Live with A Chronic Illness

11. But We Will NEVER Mind Telling You All About Our Condition