When a Nurse at the Infusion Center Asked Someone Why I'm 'So Skinny'

Words hurt. They cut deeper than we often give them credit.

I have had a very rough year. It started with a C. Diff infection that we didn’t discover until February. My health went downhill fast. I was then hospitalized. They found more problems. Ulcers. Bleeding. All of this because of my Crohn’s disease.

 

And all the while I would go to the cancer center to get my infusion. That’s when the words hurt.

She was the registration tech behind the counter with false smiles and polite tone. She asked someone I know, “Why is she so skinny?”

I wish I didn’t know there are people who wish for those comments. Yes, over the six months plus that this tech has seen my face, I’ve lost weight. A scary amount of weight. But in that moment I felt reduced to nothing more than a number. My worth downgraded to a number on a scale.

I know I’m too skinny. I’ve faced the reality. But in that moment I decided to fight for others and myself who felt judged and confined by society’s idea of weight. That it’s acceptable to make unwanted comments.

I wanted to remember I can get better. That all bodies are beautiful. And healing take place when there is support and positivity.

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Thinkstock photo via monkeybusinessimages.