The Purple Ribbons Club
Autoimmune disease is a cruel fate to live with. Most Autoimmune diseases are hidden, and from the outside people can not see them, sometimes they show and are mistaken as another disease. Often no one around you when you have autoimmune will understand the suffering you going through. Relationships disintegrate and family and friends avoid you.
On a rare occasion a person with autoimmune will find someone who loves them unconditionally. It is not easy to love someone with autoimmune! They are like getting a rose and having to watch it wilt because it has been chopped from its roots. The rose withers and becomes darkened, limp and is no longer the perfection it once was. Most would toss the rose in the garbage at this point. This is how disposable and useless a person with Autoimmune can feel at times, like a rose who is no longer worthy of the vase. Well I say bull crap! Your value has just become even more deep. See those beautiful pedals of yours can now fall and be laid into a crystal bowl and be the fragrance that fills the house even longer than that silly old rose. The pedals can be pressed and made into beautiful art and adorn by all passing by. You are still the rose just transformed into a different kind of beautiful.
My dearest of people and myself suffer with Autoimmune, each of us inflicted differently by our chronic illnesses. Depression, acceptance from others and pain have consumed our lives. But together we have found peace and strength. We are patient and kind to one another, providing unconditional love to each other. Always understanding and slowing down the pace when needed. We rejoice in each others healthy moments and love and support each other through our worse moments. We are our own purple ribbons holding each other up.
Many who date, marry or have had a relationship with someone with autoimmune will walk away on their loved ones worse moments. They can not see there will be other good moments and that the person needs them just to slow down and accept at the time they can not keep up. I myself have lost people I believed cared for me, while going through a rough time. I can’t always keep up and therefor am an inconvenience to them. Once fresh from surgery someone I care about just walked away, replaced by someone with a healthy body.
If you know someone with autoimmune please know they didn’t chose this life, but they are fighting for the best life they can. Slow down your pace with them when they need you to, be patient when plans must be canceled. Soon they will be back to where you can pick the pace back up. This is not a choice for them and they deserve your loyalty and love. They are still a beautiful rose just transformed and they still have value. They are not meant to be thrown in the trash and forgotten about.
To all the purple ribbon warriors, know there are people who will love and cherish you just as you are . You are wonderful and worthy of nothing less than unconditional love, friendship and devotion. Be brave enough not allow those who won’t provide that to you go. Autoimmune warriors are the most loving and great group of people I have ever known, they will not abandon you when the going gets rough.
So those of you who are healthy and can not see our disease, please have a little patients as we jump over our next hurdle, we will catch up to you soon and will be happy to see your hand extended to help us as we fight through these battles.
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