Real Life Super Heroes

As I read the article about 12 year old Collin with Fibromyalgia in California who hand delivered a proclamation request to his Mayor and submitted letters to other elected officials including the President of the United States, I found strength.

Then we have the 16 year old on Instagram with Fibromyalgia who walks around with a service dog. This young person is currently taking online classes in order to graduate with a High School diploma and her attitude is that although some things don't get better-We do because we get stronger. Once again I found strength.

Then there are ALL of you, some of whom I had the pleasure of meeting face to face and others who I only know from contact through Social Media. You ALL helped me realize that we can lead happy lives with Fibromyalgia-despite the pain, fatigue, sleep disturbances, anxiety, depression, IBS and other symptoms. You all get it when my back hurts one day and the pain has shifted to my arm the very next day, you get it when I say I'm exhausted but can't sleep, you get it when I am so sick from my stomach that the mere smell of food makes me nauseous, you get it when I can't remember what I did yesterday let alone something I may have just said, you get it when I'm depressed because I had to cancel plans at last minute because my body just won't allow me to go out that day. You get it because you walk in my shoes everyday. You understand how it feels to wake up in the morning feeling more tired than the night before and then the night comes and you can't sleep. You know that seeing a doctor is only a piece to the puzzle and that no Doctor can help us because the science has yet to be discovered. 

You know that there is no one size fits all in living with Fibromyalgia. You understand that to smile again, you will need to self identify triggers and self manage your pain. You understand that while we have options, symptoms can vary from person to person and Fibromyalgia can affect people differently.

You know the importance of rolling up your sleeves and helping a fellow Fibromyalgia warrior when they are having a bad day. In fact you create a huge cheering section for that person and when that fails, you know to simply remind the person that this too shall pass, because it always does. Don't we all have a 100% track record of recovering from Fibromyalgia flares? You overcome adversity on a daily basis by facing Fibromyalgia and do not allow it to steal your heart or smile-You are my Real Life Heroes!