MightyMinute

Sure, teleportation is cool… but have you ever opened a jar on the first try every. single. time? That’s a true hero! 🦸‍♂️

So today we are curious about your everyday powers — the ones that you might not win awards for but gosh, are they great to have. Can you gift wrap like a pro? Blow dry your hair in under a minute? Meal prep for 7? Always keep your email inbox at zero? (For that last one… teach us your ways!)

#MightyMinute #DistractMe

We’re wrapping up November, heading into December, and kicking off a new week today. So we have to ask, what’s your week looking like? Any big plans, appointments, or milestones on the horizon? Just trying to survive one day at a time? (Us too.)

Let’s encourage each other in the comments below.

#MightyMinute #CheckInWithMe #MentalHealth #ChronicPain #ChronicIllness #Disability #RareDisease #CheerMeOn #Parenting

I believe our pets have a 6th sense when it comes to us; they know what is going on with us physically and emotionally, often better than we do.#lifeslittlejoys #MightyTogether #TheMighty #PTSD #ComplexPosttraumaticStressDisorder #Anxiety #Trauma #MedicalTrauma #Religious Trauma #ChildhoodEmotionalAbuse #Shame #Loneliness #ChronicPain #ChronicIllness #CrohnsDisease #InflammatoryBowelDiseaseIBD #UlcerativeColitis #Surgery #jpouch #BodyImage #BodyShaming #RheumatoidArthritis #Jointpain #JointStiffness #gastroesphogealrefluxdisease #Rape #Suicide #SuicideAwareness #MultipleDisabilities #MentalHealth #liftmeup #MightyMinute #CheerMeOn #DistractMe

This year is very different because this month I was diagnosed that I have Parkinsonism. One of the symptoms is having balance issues but I’m stubborn and Monday I was out hiking (with my trekker poles) and I fell …hard. I had another fall a month ago. The first one I injured my shoulder but I didn’t go to PT yesterday because I felt light headed and kind of fuzzy and I have had a weird headache continually after the recent fall. It’s different than the headaches I get with the debilitating migraines I have been dealing with from Covid Long Haul. So I fear I may have a concussion. One more health problem, but it will fade. I can handle it…because I share this writing at a time when despite today’s challenges I feel very blessed because I survived so much from dealing with AIDS. PLEASE READ BELOW.

The day before Thanksgiving this year will mark the 35 year anniversary of when I was diagnosed HIV+. Every year when this time arrives I question why I am still here. Although a part of me can celebrate my life and be so thankful every year for having another year, another month, another day still being here, I am also sometimes consumed with guilt … Survivor’s Guilt. “Why me?” Why me in an opposite sense. Not why me… why did I become HV+? But why me … why am I still here and so many others are not? I am part of a small minority who made it through the 80’s when AIDS was considered a death sentence and are still around to talk about it.

Today many people call me a “Long Term Survivor.” They tell me that it is a miracle that I am still alive, and they honor my life and fighting spirit...but in the mid to late eighties I didn’t think of any other title than that of being HIV+. In most people’s eyes or interpretations I “had AIDS.” I had choices to make but none of them projected to the foreseeable future or even held out hope. I just developed a close knit support group of friends and family and then joined a very special group. We were a support group of HIV+ people who came together to listen, share, understand, support and love each other in a way no one outside the group could ever imagine, could ever believe… could even fathom. No one other than us could feel our pain and worry that was so thick you could feel it in the air in the rooms whenever we met.

We talked of our fears: of death, of pain, of hurt and how some of us were dealing with loved ones who did or did not know our plight, did or did not support us. We talked of our community that so many folks in the public could never understand. Those who misunderstood us, misunderstood HIV & AIDS, and harbored fear themselves often ran from us, judged us, judged our current and past actions, judged who we lived with, who we loved with, and later who we were dying with. The MIS-understanding in the public eye was so vast, so strong and so wrong that it made living and fighting off dying with HIV even harder. To say that there was prejudice is an understatement, to say that there was hatred was a sad reality, to say that there was fear was dead on accurate… lots of fear… and most of it fear of the unknown. People partly told themselves what they wanted to hear because there were very little facts. People displayed their fear outwardly or let it fester internally, but we were the human beings living in the bubble, inside the fishbowl.
People assumed we were all gay or drug addicts. These were obviously misconceptions sometimes, but it was so much easier for some people to pigeon hole us so that they didn’t have to include themselves, including the possibility that they too may become HIV+. There were many who even felt that we “deserved” our (possible) death sentence and were callous and cruel beyond explanation, and their feelings often spread. It was easier to fear than to accept, to hate than to love, to judge than to try to understand.

At our meetings we shared horror stories: of families, partners and friends who turned their backs on some of us and completely walked away (in fear, anger, judgment and often just to protect themselves in their minds). We talked of some doctors in the medical field from the military to the public who saw HIV+ patients wearing yellow hazmat suits and operated inside of plastic confines to take care of their patients… out of obvious overblown fear. We talked of hospital rooms with bright neon signs at the doors of our rooms announcing our reality to all who entered – sometimes even family and/or friends who didn’t know of our diagnosis beforehand. We talked about side effects and weakness, and living while we were dying and dying to get over the pain of living. We often were outcasts and misfits if for no other reason than that it was easier to see us that way than to have to absorb the truth… and there was no one accurate truth… there still isn’t to this day.

I am blessed to still be here today. It is easy to question why, and it can be very hard to have to process these reflections. So, the day before Thanksgiving is my anniversary. It is impossible for this holiday to come and go without my being reminded that I was diagnosed that day in 1987… 35 years ago. I later figured out that I contracted the virus in 1985...37 years ago. I am strong and vibrant today and my “numbers” are very solid. My T-cells have risen back up from the very low numbers I had in 1997 and my Viral Load dropped from the highest number the tests could determine down to undetectable 23 years ago and have stayed the same.

Yes, I made some calculated changes as to how I was living my life and yes I have a fighting spirit, but some of it also has to just come down to luck or divine intervention, depending how you see things, which way you believe things. I think I am blessed and the God of my understanding has looked over me. Why? I am not sure. Maybe I will be able to accomplish some things, to give back, to take my experiences and by sharing them make a difference in people’s lives. Or maybe I am just still around because I have been hanging on. Today I am not sure. Today I honestly don’t know if I have to be sure. Today I am alive and in the simplest of terms, every breath is a bonus. Today I continue keeping my commitment to tell my story, to help paint a real picture that may change some viewpoints, to answer any and all questions no matter how personal they are in an attempt to be transparent, honest and true… and today I appreciate the opportunity to do so!
So, in retrospective sadness and current pride, I look forward to this anniversary every year and want to honor the spirits of those friends who I lost from those support groups, to honor those who I never met who shared our path, to honor all those hundreds of thousands of people who died along this path right here in the United States and millions around the world. So many of them became such good friends and I mourn their loss…

Moshe Mark Adler
November 27, 1999
May 24, 2021 edit

UPDATE: In this time of Covid, sadly I recognize death tolls like those from another pandemic: AIDS (with no vaccine even after almost 40 years). I looked them up...the numbers, including current ones, are staggering:

690,000 [500,000–970,000] people died from AIDS-related illnesses in 2019. 75.7 million [55.9 million–100 million] people have become infected with HIV since the start of the epidemic (that we know of). 32.7 million [24.8 million–42.2 million] people have died from AIDS-related illnesses since the start of the epidemic.

#ChronicPain #PeripheralNeuropathy #BackPain #Headache #Migraine #COVID19 #covidlonghaul #Disability #MentalHealth #Depression #BipolarDisorder #Bipolar1Disorder #Bipolar2Disorder #TheMighty #MightyTogether #MightyMinute

We know how tough it can be to muster up some gratitude when you’re fighting so hard to survive every day. But one thing we know to be true — you all appreciate each other on the daily!

Consider this post your space to say your “thanks” out loud. (And scroll through if you need a reminder that you are valued and seen.)

💌 We’ll go first: We’re thankful for this community because you are the reason we have the best jobs in the world. What an honor it is to be here and learn from you always!

#MightyMinute #CheckInWithMe #MentalHealth #MightyTogether

Let’s start the week off with a jolt!⚡ ️

What’s one thing (or three! or 10!) that’s really giving you energy today? Here’s what four Mighty staffers had to say:

😴 “A four-day weekend on the horizon. I feel motivated to tie up a lot of loose ends between now and Wednesday so I can have a few days to rest and decompress.”

☕️ “COFFEE!”

🦃 “Seeing family in a few days for the holiday.”

📝 “Crossing things off my to-do list.”

Energize US by telling us what’s lifting YOU! 🔋

#MightyMinute #CheckInWithMe #DistractMe #MentalHealth #ChronicPain #ChronicIllness #Disability #RareDisease #Parenting #Autism

We are currently looking for a new Co-Leader for the Multiple Health Challenges group. We have grown quite a bit and just passed 1,500 members. In the past co-leaders have been golden, really helpful for me when I got sick or burnt out and had to step away for a few days. I am looking for someone to welcome new members, comment or respond to most posts or other comments, make new posts to the group every once and a while, and preferably someone who has physical and emotional health challenges so they can best relate to and understand where other members are coming from when they post or comment.

It is important for the group to have two distinctly different voices to support people because people might relate more to one of us. What is a really good situation is if we both respond to the same posts, welcome new members from different perspectives and provide voices for people that are accessible and relatable. There is a commitment needed that you monitor activities on the group regularly and can respond pretty quickly.

Offering your own posts provides more content for the group…and when posts pose a question they keep things moving forward. I can assist and support by offering to look at your new posts for feedback and editing before you post if you would like it, comment on your posts to get the responses going to best support your efforts, help finding memes or images, and support you if we are dealing with someone struggling …. Like sounding suicidal or being manic…and I will check in to make sure you are happy and comfortable!

I look at potential leaders' history of posts and/or comments that have helped and supported others in the past. Willingness to be honest and open about your own health challenges is crucial to best support people. A co-leader works together with me for some new posts and drafting new questions and is concerned about the well being of all members and can empathize with their paths.

You will get access to the Community Leaders group and your name will have a “Group Leader” tab next to it up top on your comments and responses so I think people pay attention especially to your activity and wisdom shared from personal experience. Would you consider joining me on this journey? Let’s have a DM chat to discuss this! Thanks for considering taking on this role!

#Depression #Anxiety #MentalHealth #ChronicPain #Chronicpainwarrior #Disability #BipolarDisorder #BipolarDepression #Bipolar2Disorder #Bipolar1Disorder
#Stigma #ObsessiveCompulsiveDisorder #ADHD #Autism #Dementia #Addiction #AddictionRecovery #Cancer #TraumaticBrainInjury #BrainInjury #LossOfAParent #Grief #SuicideSurvivors #ChronicFatigueSyndrome #DistractMe #HIVAIDS #longtermsurvivor #ChronicIllness #ChronicPain #MightyQuestions #DownSyndrome #IfYouFeelHopeless #Hope #Deafness #neckpain #BackPain #CongestiveHeartFailure #Migraine #COVID19 #PeripheralNeuropathy #LymeDisease #Diabetes #EatingDisorders #Headache #Stroke #help #BorderlinePersonalityDisorder #Fibromyalgia #Disability #thankful #grateful #EatingDisorders #CocaineDependence #drugaddict #alcoholic #PTSD #EmotionalHealth #physicalhealth PainAcceptance #Acceptance #relief #Selflove #MightyMinute #MentalHealthHero #TheMighty #RareDisease #MightyTogether

.

This is a tough one! Are you a bigger fan of marine life or flora? Inside or outside environments?

#MightyMinute #DistractMe

Here’s a question we haven’t asked before: How do you feel about your name? Whether it’s the one you were born with, one you legally changed to, or a nickname you much prefer.

Because names have a lot of meaning behind them — tradition, ancestry, metaphors, translations, union — our feelings surrounding them can be complicated.

🔒We respect your privacy completely, so please don’t feel any pressure to reveal your real name and just tell us your thoughts/emotions around it instead.

#MightyMinute #DistractMe #Trauma

A health condition changes everything — from the way we manage our day-to-day responsibilities, to where we live, to our finances and relationships. A diagnosis can stop us from working, make us change careers completely, or really show us who in our life sticks around when the going gets tough.

Since the majority of our Mighty community lives with 3-5 health conditions, we’re curious which one has changed your life the most. Share as much or as little as you like in the comments below.

#MightyMinute #CheckInWithMe #MentalHealth #Anxiety #Depression #Fibromyalgia #Migraine #ChronicPain #ChronicIllness #Disability #RareDisease #BipolarDisorder