Twenty-two years ago today, on March 2, 2002, I woke with the worst sore throat of my life, wracked with flu-like aches, and feeling completely exhausted. I figured I had a flu or some other virus, but we all know how that story ends!
You can read a written summary of our years of illness at the Our Story tab (or in Chapter 1 of my book) or the timeline version of our history that I wrote on my 20th illiversary.
On my 16th Illiversary, in 2018, I wrote about how the anniversary date has affected me over the years, at various points in time, including the treatments that helped me to improve.
Most interesting to me now, 22 years into this journey, is that often the date passes without me really noticing! I only remembered this year because someone else was writing about an illness anniversary elsewhere online this week. In those early years, it was devastating to think of how many years I'd been sick, since I'd left my old life behind.
These days, after 22 years, as the title of my book, Finding a New Normal, indicates, this is just normal life now. The date can be more difficult for me when I am badly relapsed (as I was for periods of the past three years), but this year, now that I am feeling better than I have in years, I am grateful that I am able to manage this well. This year, in particular, after those last few very difficult years, I am hugely grateful that I have come back to life in the past two months and am able to see my friends, go out, and be active again.
So, Happy Illiversary to Me!
(I certainly won't be eating any cake on this strict no-sugar diet!)
How many years have you been sick?
How does YOUR illness anniversary affect you?
Please leave a comment below.
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