Yes, I am Able Bodied - Don’t Label Me

I asked someone the other day what does being able-bodied really mean. They said it is someone that is very healthy, with a great body, lots of muscles, and strong. They went on to say that if you have any kind of illness you would not fit into this category and you cannot be weak. WOW!! Really?? I realized at that moment that people really don’t understand what it means to be able-bodied.

We are no different than the next person

I wanted to put my spin on this as a person who has had a chronic disease their whole life and a father who has had two types of cancers. We refuse to be silent and will always speak up about our illness. To me, this makes us both very able-bodied. We both get up every day and go to work, take care of ourselves, cook, feed ourselves and believe it or not we can even have a conversation daily and comprehend.

I don’t think that people look at us as normal if you have an illness. Maybe we can’t run marathons or run up mountains, but we are just as normal as the next person. We can read, see, go to the mall and walk on a treadmill. We might have to have access to ramps or need to park closer to stores. You would be surprised at the number of stores and restaurants that don’t provide access for people with disabilities. I think society just forgot about us. That still doesn’t make us different or less able-bodied.

Recognizing I do have some limitations

We don’t want anyone to feel sorry for us because we are sick. I can do just as much as you can. I might get tired more or go to the doctors more often, but don’t count us out yet. I can still hold down a job with some limitations. There are so many people who take so much for granted in this life. Can you imagine not being able to comb your hair, take a bath or even get dress, but so many of us face this challenge every day. We are still very strong individuals. Therefore, I take off my hat to caregivers, we need them to assist people who can’t help themselves at time.

Chronic illness labels

Never look at being sick as a death sentence. We are worth living whether other people believe it or not.  I’ve noticed that my father has started not wanting to go places too far from home. I asked him what was going on with that. He told me that since his prostate cancer surgery that he must urinate more often and sometimes it’s hard to find where the restrooms are in time. This is one of the strongest 85-year-old man that I know and should never have a label put on him.

Try and understand my perspective

I want to leave you some food for thought when a healthy person gets sick, does anyone say, here we go again or look at you with pity that you are always sick?  It’s like they don’t realize we need to rest more than you do. I also want you to think about all the medications we take, side effects and going to the doctor all the time hoping you’re getting the right medication just to get through another day with your disease.

Think about what we go through with our healthcare system. Does this make us less able-bodied? How can you decide if my illness warrants you to judge me? I need you to walk in my path for one day. Just because I don’t look sick; don’t assume that I’m not.