Just One
We are all just one… but if you live with an invisible illness you are one of over 100 million who are ill. You are someone. You matter. Rest Ministries, the founders of Invisible Illness Week, hope to help those with chronic illness know that even though you may feel alone in your pain and limited in what you can give, together we can make a difference.
For almost 30 years I have lived with chronic pain and illness. Like most, I have my good days, not so good, and please don’t touch me days. I must admit that since I lost 170 lbs. in the past 15 months I do “feel better” than I did with all that weight on this old, tired body. My small 5’3” frame body just could not handle that excess weight; but, as the doctors have said, “chronic pain and chronic illness is no respecter of persons”, and so even with the weight loss I am still challenged with chronic illness/pain.
It’s difficult to believe there are over a 100 million that live with invisible illness and we come in all shapes, sizes, ages, ethnic backgrounds, and religions.
Unfortunately in my family I am not the only one who lives with a chronic illness – my husband lives with debilitating chronic pain, our daughter lives with mental illness and has recently been diagnosed with inflammatory rheumatoid arthritis, and our adult grandson lives with mental illness as well. We each struggle daily just to survive in our own pain – mentally and physically. We have our own challenges and we handle them differently; but together we have chosen to trust that our Lord and Savior always knows best- as the Psalmist wrote in Psalms 73:26 (NLT) “My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.”
If you have a loved one or know someone who suffers from an invisible/ chronic illness we ask that you would take the next few moments to peruse the special website solely designed to either assist those who live with chronic illness or those who love or know someone who lives with chronic illness.
Our hope and prayers are that we all become more informed of the plight of those who live with chronic illness and how we can better assist them to bring just a little sunshine into the dark days of their pain and suffering.
For more information, please visit: http://invisibleillnessweek.com/
I cannot imagine living with chronic pain for most of my life. I am thankful that there are means and websites for those who are. May those of us who do not live with chronic pain show compassion to those who are.