Friday, September 25, 2015

Some Woman Accessorize With Shoes - I Accessorize With Tubes!

As I walk through a crowded mall it seems like all eyes are on me. There are no coy stares where passerbys quickly blush and divert there attention, but instead long, obvious gawks. Occasional I will make eye contact and smile, attempting to show this innocent bystander that I am in fact here on purpose and did not get lost on the way home from a local hospital.
What these individuals do not realize is that yes, I am ill -- seriously ill but, I am also a 24 year old woman. I still enjoys spending time at MAC Cosmetics picking out the perfect shade of lipstick for fall, or shopping at Nordstrom for a chunky sweater to match my cute new pair of ankle boots. Just because my body is failing me doesn't mean I have to give up on being a young woman. When I am feeling up to it I love to pamper myself and feel beautiful, it becomes such a rare commodity when you are ill.

I think this is what throws observers off the most, seeing an obviously medically frail patient looking like an average person. In their minds severely ill individuals live in hospitals, are over the age of 80, and probably wear nothing but hospital gowns. The reality is anyone can get sick, even a 24 year old fashionista! I am not going to stop being me just because I now have to tote my own personal oxygen supply and food in a bag on my back when I leave the house! I may be attached to medical devices, but I sure as hell will still be rocking my wing tipped eyeliner, trend forward pixie cut, and my favorite pair of Mother Skinny Jeans.

Some individuals feel the need to validate their stares by complimenting me, even though you can tell sending a stranger compliments isn't something they normally do. "I love your hair!" Followed by a large, pity filled smile. While I in no way dislike these complements, as everyone likes to be told their hair looks great, I know these phrases wouldn't be directed at me if I wasn't essentially strapped to life support. So I smile and say thank you, then go about my trip. This particular occurrence will happen about ten more times before I am finished shopping.
Illness doesn't discriminate, it takes the young, the old, and the middle aged. It doesn't care if your male, female, black, white, or purple! While disease changes much about you as a person, it doesn't change your essential being, you are still you. I did not lose the personal traits that make me, me when I was diagnosis, though I did grow and transform as an individual.
I am still Chanel, the witty, impatient, stubborn, charismatic, determined, dynamic person I was before illness struck. The same girl who has always loved to get dressed up for a fancy evening on the town, or spend hours perfecting a new eye shadow technique! The only difference now is I am also a serious illness patient bound to tanks, tubes, and central lines to keep me alive. This isn't leading some sort of double life, this is simply leading a life despite disease. I felt no need to change my style to better suit the "general populations idea of serious illness patients" when I became sick, I just had to learn to work with a few new embellishments. Some woman accessorize with shoes, I accessorize with tubes! 




So next time you see a medically fragile individual out for a day of shopping know that they are still a person who wants to feel satisfaction in their appearance, just like you. They are doing there best to still be "them" regardless of the great struggles they face daily. No need for smiles, compliments, or awkward stares; we are just like any other shopper out for a day of some much deserved retail therapy.

14 comments:

  1. There's something to be said about anonymity. Just a regular nobody. All eyes on me is fantastic when we know it's cuz we're rocking it, and girls are jealous and boys are drooling. Just ignore me otherwise. Walk while staring at your phone. Continue to be self obsessed and unintrusive. Sounds good to me

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    3. I don't mean to blow up your blog w/ my many comments, BUT... I feel compelled to remind you that a compliment on your awesome haircut is compliment you that you may have received regardless! I know you've never had your hair cut short like this before. Lemme tell you, when a stunningly beautiful girl rocks a styling SHORT cut, it grabs attention!!! ALWAYS! .... but I understand your point here as well, of course. I guess just try to remember this next time you get a compliment on your hair :))

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    4. How do you always manage to make my day Kristen?! ;)

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  2. When i was a kid and healthy I envied the sick. I guess cause they got attention. My younger sister has bad asthma that landed her in emergency more than once and overnight. I also envied diabetics. I thought it would be cool to have to give yourslf injections.

    Now i am on humira and get to give myself injections every 12 days. Its not as cool as i thought.

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    1. Hi Kyra! You are so incredibly sweet! :) Thank you for your comments! I always love hearing from you!

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  4. Keep on rocking your tubes and shoes.

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  5. I think you are wonderful! You have such a great attitude. Positive thinking helps a physical condition. If people want to stare, do as you have been doing, smile. I would pity them because they do not know you and your positive way of being. My dad is 80 years old. He sits around just waiting to die. He is a miserable human being. I still love him dearly. Every time he is around anything with two ears he lets them know how miserable he is. He has good health. His problem is he just sits there and does nothing. He guilts everyone he comes in contact with. I have lessened my visits with him because I would become physically ill after spending two weeks with him. He emotionally wore me down. I have Lupus and Psoriatic Arthritis. I have bad days and good days. I am tired a lot. But I am so great full and keep a good attitude and I feel it helps. I get cleaned up every day. It takes a while because of the arthritis in my hands. I do feel so much better when I don't look like a patient. I thank you for your reminder about how lucky I am.,

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    1. Hi Katheryn! Thank you so much for reading and taking the time to comment! You are absolutely right, attitude is half (if not more) of the battle! I had to weed many negative people from my life as they started to bring down my spirits. While of course you cant do that with family, a bit of distance never hurts! ;) lol

      A bit of make-up truly goes a long way for us patients! I love to look in the mirror and see me, not the person illness has made me! Hugs!

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  6. I would love to know where you got that adorable black dress in your main picture. It's so cute!!! You obviously have great taste. Also loved your video on backpacks that are good for feeding pumps/bags. I'm always looking for options for my students that aren't ugly as many of them also use the Joey pumps too!

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    1. Hi Mollie,
      Funny enough I got the dress for two dollars at a thrift store! I am so glad my video was useful! The home healthcare ones truly are ugly and uncomfortable! I would suggest a Sherpanie, or Vera Bradley for sure!

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