Recently I learned a secret about my friend. She didn’t come to me and lean in close and whisper her secret. She didn’t ask me not to tell anyone. She didn’t make me promise to look at her any differently after I found out.
She posted her secret on her Facebook wall. The post consisted of a beautiful picture of my friend sitting in a chair, hooked up to a machine that was feeding her treatment for her Crohn’s Disease. “Having an invisibile disease can be tough, but keeping a positive attitude will make it easier,” her post read. “After failing two treatments for Crohn’s Disease, I am now trying Entyvio, which is an infusion. I don’t know if it’s going to work, but I’m hoping for the best! For anyone going through something similar, you are not alone… #YouAreGreaterThanYourDisease.”
She received an outpouring of love and support from her friends and family. Immediately I was inspired by her courage and openness about her disease. She was right – she is greater than her disease, and I am greater than my disease.
I thought about her post for days and came to what might seem like a pretty obvious realization: we all have some form of invisible insecurity, ailment, or issue that can sometimes feel like too much for us to handle. We are greater than all those struggles. We are all deserving of the kind of encouragement that my friend received.
This picture of my dad and me was taken one of the more recent times I was in the hospital facing diabetes complications. While the infusions, tests, and appointments can be insanely scary, I never feel alone in this battle. My parents are always by my side and keep my spirits high. I am #GreaterThan my Type One Diabetes. I am a daughter, a sister, a granddaughter, a friend, an aunt, and so much more than just a diabetic. I’m also going to be in a lot of trouble if my dad finds out I’m publishing this picture!
We are all #GreaterThan that one thing (or those several things) that make us feel so small.
We at Her Campus at Drexel University invite you all to post on Instagram or Facebook a picture of you, fighting your fight, and highlighting what you are #GreaterThan. Tag us in your pictures on Facebook at Her Campus Drexel, or on Instagram with @hercampusdrexel, and the hashtag #GreaterThan to be highlighted on our social media platforms.
Join us in the fight against ending stigmas against things that we cannot control and stand up for ourselves by fighting against the things that make us feel insecure.