Happy New Year!!

I hope that the recent holidays was a happy and joyful time for you and all of your loved ones.  And that despite any health problems that you (or loved ones) experiences you were able to take part in all of the festivities and managed to enjoy yourself.  I spent the New Year, seeing it in by  myself as my parents were both working the next day, not the most fun, but I love to stay up and seeing the New Year in, wondering about the all the possibilities that the New Year has to offer, hoping it will be better than the last.  Also, hoping that it will be a healthier year for me and all of my loved ones.

Anyway…

A few weeks ago, I was invited to an event on ‘Facebook’ to an exciting writing project by a friend which was set up by an organisation called the ‘Chronically Awesome Foundation’.  The project asks us to write a blog post on the following topic:

“What does being chronically awesome mean to you?”

For me ‘chronically awesome’ is a phrase of celebration – not a celebration, of whatever may be wrong with us, but a celebration of who we are DESPITE our diagnosis.

There are a lot of patients out there who blog, writing about their particular health condition.  This may be for a variety of reasons; to have an outlet to vent for all of the things which make it difficult with living with a chronic illness, or it may be that they wish to make others more aware about the condition in which they live.  In any instances, it may be often difficult to separate the person from their condition.  However, as the term ‘chronically awesome’ may suggest that we are all more than our diagnosis – it is something that we live with instead of the condition being a part of us; ingrained within our personal identity.

But of course, everyone battling with a chronic illness is so much more than their illness – have great passions, talents that may not be known to others, are funny and brave and so on. And it is all these traits which make those with chronic health conditions “chronically awesome!”

And it’s all about remembering this when going through all the bad days which chronic illness often brings – and doing what you can with everything you have.  To not to dwell on all the negatives, but instead remember all the positives in life; those which cannot be tarnished by illness – and most of all to smile and bring positivity!  Think of chronic illness as a long drawn out war, there are times when chronic illness and all with what they bring in terms of symptoms may win certain battles (such as stopping us from doing things which we may want to on a given day) but by having a positive attitude, chronic illness will not win the overall war.

“Chronically awesome” is also all about doing all those little things which bring us joy or those activities which we miss doing due to ill-health, and those times when we are able to complete these activities which are often out of the question as we feel so bad, again makes us “chronically awesome.”  It’s all about living life to the fullest despite chronic illness – instead of simply existing with a chronic illness.

And this state of being ‘chronically awesome’ is not just meant for the individual but to me, is a collective effort from everyone suffering with a chronic illness.  We live through it all together – through it all; the insomnia, the pain, the dizziness and all of those appointments at the doctors’ office or hospital.  We complain and vent without the comparisons, and the “Whose illness is worse?” game.  We support one another during the bad times, and celebrate the triumphs when they occur.  So many times I have pondered many questions regarding my condition or about the symptoms I experience; and by the power of social media, there have been many people who have reached out and offered me advice, solutions or just their unwavering support.   The people whom I have met online I know are always there for me, and will often describe them as ‘my online family’.  We all understand one another, and are sometimes are the only people who truly understand exactly what it is like for me.  Everyone of my chronically ill are themselves ‘chronically awesome’!

What does the term ‘chronically awesome’ mean to you?  Share your thoughts and perhaps links to what you have written for the writing challenge (if you have participated).