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To My Best Friend Who Sees Past My Chronic Illness

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Dear Best Friend,

Never in a million years would I have ever pictured myself in the situation that I am in now. Never would I have ever imagined that my once large social group would drop to just a few good people, the only people I can rely on to treat me as a normal human being. I will never be able to accurately present my gratitude in a form that would justify the amount of gratefulness in my heart and soul for you sticking around in my life even in my worst moments.

Thank you for the “just checking in” text messages.

Thank you for the care packages and the letters that always cheer me up when I’m in my darkest moments.

Thank you for treating me like a normal human being and not running away from me even when my condition had become quite scary.

Thank you for sending me silly memes and corny jokes, because they can bring a smile to my face even when nothing else can.

Thank you for letting me rant, ugly cry, and complain to you in my sometimes ridiculous state of mind — times when life is just too overwhelming for me to bear on my own, you’re always there to take some of the burden.

Thank you for all the times you make my problems your problems too, because being chronically ill can be quite isolating and having someone to share problems with makes it slightly more tolerable.

Thank you for being my non-blood sister, and for always supporting every decision I’ve made. Even the bad ones.

These are just a few of the number of things you do for me in everyday life. I will never being able to be as great of a friend to you, as you have been to me after all these years. If our friendship has survived thus far, I have no question that it will be able to handle anything life will throw at us.

Love you always!

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Thinkstock photo by AntonioGuillem

Originally published: April 16, 2017
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