Orchid @lyncia@pixie.town

One of my oldest friends ghosted me when I went public with my chronic illness.

They wanted the “old me”.

They wanted me to hide it better.

Two days ago they reached out to say they’re now disabled & worried they won’t be able to keep their job.

They asked for my help

They said they didn’t realize how bad it was.

They lamented the lack of support.

Said they’re hiding it as best as they can but it’s exhausting and wearing them down.

You know what they didn’t say? Sorry.

This is the case all too often for those of us who advocate for disability awareness and chronic illness.

We’re shunned. Ignored. Abandoned.

Treated as a nuisance and told to “try harder”

Our pleas for solidarity go unheard.

The only time people pay attention is when it happens to them, and by that point it’s too late.

We can’t give you your health back. We can’t transport you back in time to take the advice we gave you to maintain your health. We can’t make it so you won’t deal with discrimination

All we can do now is help you reach a point of acceptance.

Help you dismantle your own internalized ableism and build a new existence in a world that will now turn its back on you just as you turned your back on us.

And we do this with compassion and kindness despite the way we’ve been treated.

We show up for you even when you wouldn’t show up for us.

Please, consider saying sorry.

Consider acknowledging the way you treated us. It would mean a lot.