This essay explore my journey dealing with chronic illness in college, and how I grew from it.
I explore not only my personal battle with POTS, but the battle that people with chronic illness face trying to get doctors to listen to them. The syndrome POTS itself is falling down because of the lack of funding in research. College students are falling down due to high stress from social pressures, academic commitments, and searching for a sense of belonging.
But I survived. Even though my personal experiences with POTS were difficult, and at times felt impossible, I survived. I mean survival in a broad sense, as my illness is not life-threatening. But something that disrupts your way of life can feel life-crushing. Surviving is to continue on. It is learning how to best support your needs, and advocate for yourself before you hit the ground. It is to not let the egregious tasks stop you from living. Living in a way that is meaningful, with people who make you feel good. Surviving is to listen to the people around you, look for signs of bruised knees and scratched elbows because we never know who is falling. And make sure you can, to the best of your ability, provide support to those who look unsteady. Learning how to grow with your struggles, and from them, is to continue on. It is to survive.