I have decided to start this blog as a way to deal with some of the issues I am facing as I struggle with an invisible illness that is changing the very fiber of my being. I need an outlet where I can express my hopes, fears, frustrations, and challenges. This blog will hopefully serve as that outlet; a repreive, an oasis of sorts.
This process has not been easy for me. My whole life has changed. Once a busy and energetic mother, wife, graduate student, college professor, and volunteer who was constantly on the go, I am now only a shell of my former self. My family and I used to spend weekends hiking, biking, camping, canoeing, going to the theater and symphony, working in the yard, playing tennis or frisbee, and so many other activities that I deeply miss. Always on the move. That was me. Now I feel it is a great day if I am able to take a shower. The simple things wear me out. After a shower I have to rest. It is amazing how much my life has changed.
But I am a fighter. That is my nature. This disease cannot change who I am at the core. It may zap my energy and change my ability to be as active as I want to be; it may limit my ability to fulfill my career aspirations in the way that I had dreamed and it may change how active I can be as a mother and wife, but it cannot take away who I am. I will continue to fight this disease and the associated stigma with every fiber of my being. This blog is one way of doing that. It is my voice, and hopefully the voice of so many others that may be struggling in silence.
Kristy
