To Anyone With Chronic Illness Who's Looking for a New Friend

I’m looking to make a new friend or two.

Someone to hang out with in real life, someone who will encourage me to get out of my home and enjoy what the outside world, my city, has to offer.

I am someone…

…who has had to abandon all previous hopes and dreams and I’m now starting to imagine and dream new possibilities.

…who knows better than to worry and make plans for the future because I know that the only way to truly live is to take it one day at a time.

…who gets that everything does not need to be explained in order to be understood.

…who must exercise extreme caution every time I step outside my home or try something new.

…who has experienced a divergence of my life from those of all my friends due to circumstances that are vastly outside of my control.

…who, in spite of having to manage the ever present yo-yo of debilitating symptoms, am still up for the challenge of coming up with creative ways to live a life that is enriching and full.

I’m looking to meet someone like me: someone in their mid-20s to mid-30s whose life has also been drastically impacted by chronic illness.

Without having to revisit my past, explain how I navigate my trackless new reality, or discuss the endless medical absurdities, I want to be in the company of other people who simply get it, and are as eager as I am to break out of their bubbles of isolation and connect with others offline who are living through a similar shared experience.

Together we can find a place to share a cup of tea where the barista will gladly and without fuss turn down the music, appreciate the latest art exhibit off-peak hours to avoid all the buzz and scene-goers, or enjoy a show in a dark corner of the theatre so we can sneak away unseen if its not our thing.

I suspect you’re out there, searching for a friend like yourself, too. Someone who you can laugh, socialize, and do fun stuff with. You wish to participate in really cool activities that don’t simply accommodate challenges and mitigate triggers, but rather that allow your personality to shine.

If you are looking for someone like me — and you — then I want to meet you!

Kanika invites anyone else impacted by chronic illness who’s looking for a friend to email her at someonelikemetoronto@gmail.com.

The Mighty is asking the following: What’s the hardest thing you deal with as someone with a chronic illness, and how do you face this? What advice and words of support would you offer someone facing the same thing? If you’d like to participate, please send a blog post to community@themighty.com. Please include a photo for the piece, a photo of yourself and 1-2 sentence bio. Check out our Submit a Story page for more about our submission guidelines.