Invisible Pain!

     So many illnesses are associated with the eye.  We make judgements daily with our eyes and draw conclusions, mentally, from those.  If you have a runny nose, your eyes are droopy, and you have a cough....you must be sick, right?  Now let's think for a minute!  How many illnesses go undetected because people don't physically look sick, but truly are?  Really, think about it for a minute! 

I have been advocating and fighting for my daughter since her 2nd open heart surgery.  I wish I could say it has gotten easier as she has gotten older, but I'd be lying.  Her invisible pain is her constant fighting to prove she has a congenital heart defect.   You know how exhausting that is for a 14 year old?  I'm exhausted with the continued educating that I have to do teaching people, that just because  my daughter looks like a "normal" teenager...SHE ISNT!

 She is broken!  She will always be broken!  She has learned to live a life of brokenness because, that is all she knows.  And I must say she does a fabulous job at it!!  But the truth remains, she is judged visually daily.  We both have been called terrible things, accused of just "wanting attention", and have been told flat out we were lying.  What does this say about us as a society? 

The strength my daughter shows daily is admirable and heartbreaking at the same time.  No CHD child, or any other child with a disability, should have have to bear these obstacles.  Their scars may not all be visible, but their daily battles are so real.  Learning to adjust to a world of Normal, is not just tricky for a CHD child, but a parent also.  There are situations that are crossed, where we have to be innovative to make things work.  Whether it be a specialized educational plan, or a modified sport from a understanding coach.  

I guess what I'd like most would be compassion.  Yes my child may slow down the games ending time, maybe fail all your quizzes, and even struggle socially with her peers, but.....she is still just a child!  Impressionable, full of the same emotions as everyone else, and wanting to just be accepted as she is.  So the next time you find yourself passing judgement on a child, or a parent, do me a favor.  Look beyond the visual first impression!  There is always more than what meets the eye!

Blessings Until Next Time!

Drena