“I’ve been given the wonderful opportunity to filter my life through a lens of what really matters…” Allié: What have you learned in living with a chronic illness? Cynthia: So much… so many things. When you have hours upon hours in bed, you have a lot of time for reflection. We as a family learned sacrifice and contentment. Plans were constantly changed or cancelled. I discovered new ways to connect with my kids that I could do reclined or on a golf cart or a seated scooter. We didn’t have to change our values to fit with my condition, we changed how it looked to accomplish the goal. We accommodated. I’ve learned the importance of relationships with people who can witness your struggle, empathize and love you through it. I’ve learned it’s equally if not more important to love others and take the focus off of myself and seek opportunities to do so. I have had to learn to have love for my body even when it may feel like it’s failing me. I heard a quote that “when you have air in your lungs, more things are working right then wrong in your body,“ and I believe that to be true. I have had to learn to not get sucked into depression when it feels like the bad days are outnumbering the good days. I have learned to cut through the bs in life. I don’t have the energy for stress and negativity so I focus on the things that bring joy, fulfillment and stretch me towards personal growth. I’ve been given the wonderful opportunity to filter my life through a lens of what really matters, and to ask myself what do I really want my life to contain. Allié: What do you hope for everyone to know about POTS? Cynthia: I share all of this because I know how hopeless it can feel and how lonely it can be. I felt like at times I had kissed death’s front door and sometimes wanted to let myself in... whatever you may struggle with, please never give up on yourself or give up on seeking solutions. If you know someone with a chronic illness like POTS, you can help by listening, learning what you can about their diagnosis, believing when they tell you how they feel and by being patient with their ability or often inability to make plans or participate in the same way they used to. One of my favorite movies of all time is ‘The Sound of Music’ and in the last few years of my journey with chronic illness, the song Climb Every Mountain has come to mind on more than one occasion. Most of the time it’s not EVERY mountain but rather, the mountain in front of me at the moment. Some days are extremely hard and others are full of wonderful experiences and deep conversations. I am grateful for the mountains; they have made me stronger and given me a better viewpoint on this one beautiful life we get to live.
Climb every mountain Search high and low Follow every highway Every path you know
Climb every mountain Ford every stream Follow every rainbow 'Till you find your dream
A dream that will need All the love you can give Every day of your life For as long as you live
Climb every mountain Ford every stream Follow every rainbow 'Till you find your dream
Follow Cynthia’s story on Instagram as she shares her journey with POTS via @riseuppotsie. “I have good days, bad days, I’m over it days, I’m awesome days, too tired days, crawl under the covers days, get outside days, I’m overwhelmed days...and every day, I show up. That is where the strength lies, in just showing up.” 36 AWARENOW / THE HUMAN EDITION
www.IamAwareNow.com