To an able-bodied person, to watch someone suffer from a chronic illness might seem like an impossible thing to go through on a daily basis. The knowledge that a chronic illness is not something that will simply just get better after a matter or time is something that every chronically ill person has to struggle with early on with their diagnosis, and even throughout their complex and unsuccessful treatment plans. But in no way shape or form do I see my diagnoses as a disadvantage, because there’s absolutely no way in hell that I’m going to let them stop me from achieving my life goals.

When I was first diagnosed, I definitely thought my illness was going to be a disadvantage - because that’s what everyone told me. I was only seventeen years old, about to be a senior in high school, and society told me that it was essentially going to ruin my final high school year. Since I saw it as a disadvantage, I missed out on those typical senior events and great things that come along with this milestone because of my mindset - missing out on parties, skipping the senior barbecue, cancelling plans with friends to stay in bed, and not even bothering to go on the senior trip. I hate that, because if my mindset was different and more positive, I would have so many extra memories during that point in my life that I instead missed out on.

It wasn’t until right around the time when I turned 21 when I actually took the step to consciously change my state of mind. After missing out on three years of my college experiencing by spending every single weekend in my room by myself, I was fed up on missing out on every opportunity and experience that presented to me. I was sick of telling my friends no, missing out on events on campus that I thought seemed cool because I wanted to stay in bed, and I decided then and there that I wasn’t going to look at my illness as a disadvantage. I ultimately realized that it wasn’t a disadvantage at all, and I was being ridiculous looking at it in that way.

Because of this small change in mindset, I improved my quality of life immensely. Though my medical prognosis hasn’t changed in years, it hasn’t stopped me from enjoying my life and achieving the goals I’ve set for myself. Rarely do I ever say I can’t do something because of any of my illnesses anymore - even if I want to some times. I’ve seen first hand how this small change in this overall definition set by society which I was supposed to conform to has changed my life for the better.