Cystic Fibrosis is considered an invisible disease, yet it is anything but. Meaning, I look perfectly healthy to the unknowing eye, while silently a battle within rages. CF may be concealed beneath the façade of my body, conveniently hidden from the world around me, but underneath it all it is a relentless disease trying its best to undermine me from within: trying to silently steal every breath.
I've spent a majority of my life keeping any signs of CF concealed from the world around me: hiding my dark eyes and pale skin beneath pounds of makeup, wearing clothes to hide my barreled chest, being conscious of how much I am coughing in public, wearing long sleeves to hide a PICC line, and mindfully deflecting attention from myself in hopes of protecting the ones I love from the realities of CF. CF may seem invisible to the untrained eye, but it is not. It's a silent, yet deadly force that affects the lives of so many in my life.
What Lies Beneath
As my CF progresses, it is becoming more and more difficult to conceal. It may be still invisible to most of the world, but as I look in the mirror, it's anything but invisible. I see CF peering back at me through my own tired, sunken eyes. I see it in the eyes and faces of the people close to me: a tinderbox of emotion bursting within the silence of their gaze. I fear that they can see straight into me as our eyes meet. I fear they can see the mess of emotion churning within me, the exhaustion, the relentless war reeking havoc within: that my body is betraying me. But most of all, I fear they will see how weak I truly am.
This morning things are as usual: I will go out into the world with makeup carefully painted upon my face to hide the exhaustion that darkens my eyes and paleness of my skin. The world will see me as healthy, never hovering for a minute on the thought that each breath I am given is such a gift. CF will be invisible.
But this afternoon I will walk through the doors of the hospital and be embraced by people I so greatly love and trust with my life. People who see and know the invisible side of me: my CF Team. People who work so tirelessly to give me another tomorrow, who so endlessly support me every day in every part of my life. People who help pick up the pieces as I continually try to max out every ounce of life. My Team never gives up hope. For each of them, I will always be so truly grateful.
My Beautiful Life
It still seems unbelievable to me at times, that my body is literally silently destroying itself from within. For the most part, my reflection tells me there can't be anything possibly wrong, or if I see any signs of CF, I do my best to simply cover them up. If it is invisible to the world and to myself it doesn't exist, right? But when I am faced with the images of what lie beneath this façade, the pain, and signs of sheer exhaustion, I am forced to know a different truth. Invisible or not, I will always have hope that it someday will be completely invisible.
This morning I will put a smile on my face, be grateful for every moment, every person, and every breath life has granted me. I am grateful for the life I have been given: the visible and invisible. Today is just another part of my beautiful journey. Love to you all.
What is "invisible" in your life?
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