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To the People Who Feel Sorry for My Life With Endometriosis

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To the people who look at my life and tell me they feel sorry for me… please stop! Yes, My life is hard. Yes, I have more bad days than good. Yes, I can’t do a lot of the things that so many others can do easily. Yes, I had to give up a lot once I became sick. Yes, my illness has no cure. But still, don’t pity me.

I am who I am and I can’t change that. There will always be things I’ll need help with, but that doesn’t make me weak. That makes me human. I will always have some sort of pain, I am human. I will have good days and bad days, but I am human.

I don’t get when people say they feel sorry for me because I’m not “normal.” What does normal even mean? Normal doesn’t exist. We are all imperfectly perfect. Unfortunately, I have to work twice as hard as you at almost anything, but that doesn’t make me abnormal. I still get it done, I’m still striving for greatness. I still think and act the same as you do. I still have goals, passions, things I’m good at. I’m still loving, caring, worthy, able and willing to achieve whatever goals I have.

I really wish people would see me when they looked at me, not my illness. I wish they would classify me as an artist, a dreamer, an achiever, a daughter, a sister, a friend. Not the “endo girl” or “the girl who is always sick.”

Yes, I am trying to raise awareness for my endometriosis. Yes, I talk about my condition a lot. But I am doing it in a positive way and I wish people would recognize it. Recognize that I’m choosing to rise above this illness and not letting it define me. Despite that pain and the struggles I face daily, I am still achieving new things every day. I am still setting goals and crushing them. I am inspiring people all over the globe, I am doing amazing things. Recognize me for being the girl who chose goals over fears.

The writer walking on the beach, with a hashtag that reads, "I'll rise up."

Don’t judge what you can’t see. If you are curious, ask. Listen. Befriend. But don’t pity or feel sorry for me. Be happy for me, be happy knowing I’ve accomplished all that I have while dealing with a debilitating illness. I’ve crushed all my goals, I’ve remained positive and I made something great out of a bad situation, I did what everyone said I couldn’t. I can, I will – watch me! This illness has given me the ultimate strength, determination, and bravery. Look at me shine, don’t take it away with your pity. We are all imperfectly perfect humans on this, we are all one in the same.

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Originally published: September 12, 2017
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