In the USA over 25 million people live with diabetes. We could fill 250 100,000 seat stadiums. We make up 8% of the population. If 8% of the people in a stadium stood up and yelled, everyone would hear the roar. If their family and friends stood up, well, almost everyone would be on their feet.
In the USA about 36,000 people live with myasthenia gravis. That is .01% of the population. That works out to about 14 in a 100,000 people. If 14 people stood up in this stadium, would you see them? Would you hear them yell?
Take a long look at the stadium photo. Fourteen people in 100,000 know what MG feels like. Just looking at that picture makes me feel lonely. Rare things are often prized, but not when it is a rare disease. Loneliness is a difficult challenge, but it isn't insurmountable. We live in the internet age and the internet is magical.
In bigger cities there are support groups for people with MG. Only, not everyone lives near a support group, and not everyone thrives in a group. Like me. My name is Marie and I am an introvert. I like people a great deal... in small, infrequent, doses. Support on the internet works best for me. The diabetes support I have received online has been a source of strength and joy in my life. I hope to see the same thing available to anyone who has MG and feels lonely. MG is hard and frustrating. I know what it feels like. Other people do, too.
I blog about MG. Are there other bloggers out there? If you blog about MG please let me know. Do you tweet about MG? If so, please join us. The small group of people I found on Twitter who live with MG:
@Cazzimon
These MG warriors know what you are going through. MG feels lonely, but you're not alone. That list is proof of it. In an imaginary stadium of 100,000 people let's get seats together. We might be a small section, but we can be strong together nonetheless.
Beautifully said.
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