Spotlight on Stigma... Welcomed but Not Accepted

I'm tired... Exhausted... Fatigued... Drained... Consumed... Spent... Empty... Wasted... Pooped... Worn out... Done for... Run-down... Finished... You get the idea. Everyone close to me (including myself) has a chronic condition and/or illness: - My mom has a laundry list of conditions but right now, she has been having fainting spells?/seizures?/something like that. She already has had several falls in the past few years, with many of them requiring at least an ER visit and sometimes a hospital stay. But the thing is, they can't find out what's wrong so they can't treat it. - My dad has heart and blood pressure issues and is a diabetic. He has had a sore on his foot since last summer and it looks like there infection in the bone. Most likely he will need surgery but they are getting a second opinion. Until then he's supposed to try to stay off his foot but the lack of movement makes his diabetes worse. It's pretty much uncontrolled and he n...

Weight problems are a huge issue in the US and even worldwide. We have access to food too easily and we often don't have to walk to commute in many areas of the country or work a physical job all day. Add to this, medications we take can add weight and it has nothing to do with overeating. This also applies to anyone who has issues with not being a typical size - too tall, too short, too thin, physical differences... The world is made for the average person, as it should be. But when someone who is different has to live in a world built for the average, it can be an issue. So this letter is: To everyone who is of a typical size: It is somewhat of a compliment when you treat me like everyone else. I appreciate it when you look at someone my size and not automatically think that I need every accommodation in the book. But on the flip side, there is so much I wish you knew. 1 - If you are a hostess and there's someone really large in the party, even if they don't a...