To the People Who Feel Sorry for My Life With Endometriosis
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.
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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My Name is Gage Paslay and I am 27 years old. I’ve been struggling with this invisible illness called Endometriosis since I was 12 years old. It’s chronic and I deal with pain everyday. There is no cure for it so it will forever be a part of me and it’s something i’m going to have to deal with for the rest of my life. I have good days and bad. It takes 7 plus years just to receive a diagnosis and its often misdiagnosed. Over the years i’ve received different diagnosis and i’ve been on countless medications and treatments that haven’t worked. Luckily, I was finally diagnosed correctly In December of 2016 by laparoscopy, the only way to determine if you have it or not. However, it made my symptoms worse and I am now looking into excision surgery. My blog is really about bringing awareness to this debilitating chronic invisible illness. 1 in 10 people assigned female at birth have Endometriosis and so many of them haven’t received a diagnosis yet or they are waiting to have another surgery. Endometriosis impacts people in almost every aspect of their lives. How, when and if we can have children. How our cycles work and how long they may last. It gives us pain sometimes so debilitating we can’t even get out of bed in the morning. It messes with our mood. It also impacts our relationships with family and friends. It sometimes overpowers us and defines who we are. So this page is about me speaking out for myself and for everyone struggling from any kind of chronic illness. You aren’t alone. Together, we have each other. I know what its like to have no one, to feel like you are stuck in a dark hole and no one is willing to pull you out. I’ve been there. I want to show light to people who are struggling, I want to encourage others to speak up and stand up for themselves. This disease shouldn’t define us and it shouldn’t control us. You shouldn’t feel guilty for being sick because it’s not your fault. I struggle everyday AND i’ve survived every bad day I thought I couldn’t get through..I’m rising up everyday and so can you. If you’re interested in finding out more about Endometriosis, watch my videos, read my blogs and follow my journey. If You are a Endometriosis Warrior like me, follow me. Share them with your friends and family. React to them. My voice is one in many but I’m determined to make sure its heard. This is me taking a stand against anyone who has ever told me “Its all in my head” or “I’m overreacting” or “It ’s just period cramps”. #I’llRiseUp.
gagepaslay