As The World Reopens, Remember Those With Chronic Illness

After a very long year, it feels like we are finally starting to turn the corner with regard to the pandemic. For many people who suffer from a chronic illness like multiple sclerosis, there haven’t been too many changes.

Considerations for the chronically ill

I said at the beginning of the pandemic that for many people, a life of isolation is the norm, not the exception. It is my hope that the past year has helped people understand what life is like for my segment of the population.

There are so many things I hope the pandemic has shown society about those that are stuck home because of their illness.

A new appreciation

I hope they see that the disabled are not having fun or being lazy while staying home, that it is no picnic. Perhaps they had fun at the beginning of the pandemic, but I hope they eventually realized that no one would choose to be stuck at home.

I hope they have an appreciation for how easy it is to get sick. So many people with chronic illness are immunocompromised and have to be very vigilant in order to not catch something. It’s so easy to pick up something as simple as the common cold; while that may not be a big deal for most people, it has a much greater effect on us. It usually lasts longer and is much more severe.

I hope the world sees that there are so many jobs that can be done remotely. If more places abandoned the requirement to be in the office, so many more people could not only contribute but live much more fulfilling lives.

The impact on daily life

The pandemic forced many people from their jobs, making them live on government assistance (an increased amount at that). I hope they see how very hard it is to survive that way, that the money those on disability receive is far from livable. Worrying about where we will live or how we will afford food is a massive problem for the disabled.

I hope there will be a greater appreciation for the need to revamp our healthcare system (in the U.S. at least).

With the speed and effectiveness with which the vaccines were developed, I hope everyone realizes the breakthroughs science can make when properly funded and working towards a common goal.

The emotional toll

The pandemic brought uncertain times to so many. I hope that people better understand the uncertainty that so many with chronic illness live with on a daily basis. That fear of “what might happen next” is so common among us, something we live with every day.

I hope they can now appreciate the isolation and loneliness that so many that are disabled have to experience.

Most people have experienced new hardships because of the pandemic, I hope people will learn from that and take it with them. I want them to think of the people that had those hardships before the pandemic and will still have them afterward. I want them to use those experiences in the way they live their lives, the way they vote, and the way they treat other people.

Looking to the future

Most of all, I want them to enjoy their lives a little more, after realizing what their lives could be.

I’m a little too old and jaded to think we will experience real change when the pandemic ends. I very much wish the pandemic never happened and I personally have had two people I knew pass from COVID-19, but it could be a springboard for change.

There could be some good that comes out of it, but only if people remember their experiences and learn from them.

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