THIS IS HOW YOU TREAT A PERSON IN HOSPITAL.
Like a normal human.
I hate sympathy + pity with a passion. Especially when it comes to my hospital experiences but on days like the one above, I forget – largely because I am wallowing in so much self pity that I want others to join me.
Thankfully I have the perfect friends. They refuse to sink into that and anytime I go “woe is me, my life is awful”, they’ll make a sarcastic joke and life will feel normal again.
I say this sentence a lot now. “I’ve had 15 surgeries, a brain tumour, a punctured intestine, an obstructed bowel, a cyst in my brain and a condition called hydrocephalus”. I say it in a sing songy way that almost makes it seem not as serious as it was. I’m told I read it like a shopping list. Why? Cause if I went into the details of it, it would be overwhelming, a real downer and result in pity. It’s my way of keeping it light hearted and digestible.
Whilst I’ve told you bits, I’ve never gone into the full story cause it’s impossible in 300 word. Growing up, I always struggled with telling people.
This is why I couldn’t be more grateful for my friends. For years they never knew why I was in hospital, exactly what the scars were for, they never asked and assumed one day, when I felt comfortable, I would tell them. That day never came.
That voice is my longest friend Jessica, I’ve known her since I was 6 and it took me until this hospital stay at 19 years old to finally explain the full story, and SHE had to ask. Right after, we turned on the princess diaries and everything was exactly the same.
There is something so valuable in making someone feel normal.
Today in @omgkenzieee ‘s #selflovebootcamp , it is #scarrednotscared and this is exactly what Scarred Not Scared is about. Opening up the convo around scars, surgery, invisible illnesses and chronic pain so that people aren’t awkward around it. Body positivity is about being positive towards all bodies, even if you don’t find that body attractive. Scars aren’t attractive, they are beautiful. They capture the beauty of strength and resilience and having a scar should never make you feel isolated in that.