I love to wear big sweatshirts on cold days. Here in Florida, we have had a few almost chilly days that were cool enough for a sweatshirt. Last week, I was coming in from the grocery store wearing my Lupus Florida Walk sweatshirt. A neighbor stopped, and speechlessly pointed at the logo. After a brief silence she asked, "What do you have to do with that?" I said, "First, I have it. Second, I work there." Silence again. "I was just diagnosed with lupus myself," she replied. I asked if she had any books on lupus. She did not but was interested. We agreed to meet next week.
Later that night I pulled a pile of lupus books off my shelf, put them in a bag, and hung the bag on her doorknob. Tonight, I am reflecting on just how isolated, lost, dazed and confused I was after my own diagnosis nearly 9 years ago.
A well intentioned choir member gave me the book The First Year--Lupus: An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed. As soon as I got home, I put the book face down on the table on my balcony. Sometimes, I tried to muster the courage to even read the back cover. I finally got the courage to read and then the courage to read more and more.
Those books that lit the way out of the despair of my diagnosis, now, they will light the way for another person. When I was diagnosed, I couldn't find a physical person to light the way for me. But I can be there to light the way for her and others.
If you have just begun your journey with chronic illness, there are people and books that can light the way for you, too. You aren't as alone as you might think!
No comments:
Post a Comment