Sunday, February 19, 2012

Bloggers Helping People Live with Medical Issues

I've been touched recently by the blog posts of two young women I know. They have used the power of blogging to share their experiences of living with medical problems. I know that they are confronted with their medical issues every day, and not simply medically. They deal with whom they can tell, what they should hide, and how they perceive themselves. These are personal struggles, not just medical ones. I know this, but I struggle to understand it. I'm eagerly trying to understand.

I know from experience that these kinds of issues are difficult to empathize with. Unless you are extraordinarily lucky, you will know someone who struggles with such an issue, perhaps a child, a spouse, or a close friend. Children in particular need someone who knows what they are going through, and can put words to their feelings in a way that you may not be able to. They need someone who experiences the same things they do, who could share with them, telling them it will be alright, or that it won't if that is the case.

These two young bloggers fill that role for others who live with the same conditions they do. They also give people like me more insight into their lives, which makes me better able to support them, and others living with medical issues. This can't be easy for them. They have to bear potentially open wounds to accomplish this, but they do it anyway.

Seldom am I as proud of the courage of leadership, as I am of these two women. Check out their blogs at:

I Love Pancakes
Girls Don't Poop