This is a guest post written by David Bedworth. There’s more on David at the bottom of the article.
I wrote an initial article on Invisible Disability to try and bring attention to this subtle illness that afflicts many for different reasons. Based upon the feedback I received the article did seem to strike a resonant chord with many people. The article was serious and somewhat “heavy” in tone and this follow up commentary is undertaken with a more humorous vein. With my most sincere apologies to Jeff Foxworthy I submit that – “You know you have an Invisible Disability when:”
You feel guilty about being ill . . .
You make excuses to others about yourself . . .
You get embarrassed trying to explain to people why you are not able to work . . .
You feel like you have something contagious when friends stop calling by . . .
You bristle when people who know you say “but you look so well” . . .
You note that basic things like walking can tax every part of your mind and body . . .
You notice strangers look at you as if you are drunk . . .
You type like a dyslexic monkey . . .
You feel useless until you figure out that the white thing on the wall turns on the light . . .
You still get into the driver’s seat in a car when you know you cannot drive . . .
You run your hands along the wall to stop the dizziness . . .
You get anxious in the noise, light and movement at the mall . . .
You avoid loud noises and bright lights . . .
You look forward to sleeping in the day . . .
You look forward to bouts of insomnia . . .
You start to develop a new life within the boundaries of your illness . . .
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A disabling encounter with prostate and brain cancer have put David in a situation where he cannot work and has limited abilities as a result of treatment. However, brain surgery seems to have stimulated a long dormant creative surge in literature, music and poetry. He is involved with contributions to The Student Operated Press and is working with his sister on a collection of illustrated poems. He also assists a group of ill veterans and family members who were exposed to contaminants at the Marine Corps Base at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
