People everywhere get discriminated over things that other people can't see. With Sickle Cell it's not always easy to know what somebody is going through, especially as each case affects people differently. We need to remember in general that disability is not all about physical appearance. So many people out there have other illnesses and disabilities that affect their way of life & those of us who look @ people in disgust when they see them park their car in a disabled spot then get out of their car and walk off need to realise this. We may not realise it but you actually make these people like my friend feel as if they've done something wrong, we make them feel ashamed.
Me personally, I do not want to feel ashamed on top of everything else. Why must I be treated unfairly due to something I was born with? I do not have any control over my illness, it's not my fault that unless I’m struck down with a crisis or things of that nature I look like a healthy young woman. We do not know what's going on with people and their lives so do not look at somebody else's life and get jealous and spiteful for what they have and the good that comes to them because you do not know what hardships they had to go through or what hard work they had to put in to achieve their success. Instead of focusing on everybody else we should all focus on ourselves. In order to improve things in the world we first need to improve things within ourselves.
With my Sickle Cell I do not want people to feel sorry for me or make allowances but just acknowledge when I am beaten down by the illness and going through something I do need the time to pick myself and sort out my life. Do not assume because I have this illness that I CAN NOT do something, I know what I can do and only I know how far I can push myself.
People do not realise but Sickle Cell is more than jus a physical illness, it is also a mental and emotional one. It's really important to have the right people around you from the beginning to allow us to have the right frame of mind to deal with what we're going through. Without the positive influence installed in me from my parents and without my family and friends I do not know where I would be now. I don't think I could deal with half the things I’ve been through. Every year there is at least one trying barrier that is presented to me and I just want to apologise to those who get the backlash of my emotions on a bad day. I do appreciate you and love you very much.
Imagine this, going through the stand trials of life, puberty, relationships, friendships, work, school, peer pressure, homework, coursework, chores, learning what life means, what do I want to be when I grow up? What paths should I take in life? I'm sure we all remember the confusion of teenage-hood and the confusion of the dramatic change after school is over. Then imagine having to deal with fighting immense pain, facing death at least once in your life before you even hit 13, having to deal with medication and hospitals and watching your family suffer because of you and what you're going through and seeing a friend or two die from the same illness you share with them? How easy do you think it would be to have to deal with that? Now add all the discrimination and lack of understanding from everybody around you? Do you think you can deal with that? If you were in that position you do not have a choice but to. You have to grow up real quick and you understand the pain life brings and the reality of life from a very early age.
I think one message I do want to put forward today is everybody should push to achieve their aspirations, look at yourself and how you can improve yourself instead of pointing at others and pushing them down to make yourself feel better. Instead of bad mouthing and hurting one another why don't we try to help them to be better people as well? Sometime people cannot help themselves and their actions are a cry for somebody to support them and love them. We all have flaws, that's what makes us human, nobody is perfect.
Sorry for the long blog, just have a few things on my mind this week.
Take care everybody!
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