What Chronically Ill Children Want Their Parents to Know

One of the most difficult things in receiving a PsA diagnosis is seeing how intensely it can affect your loved ones. If you receive a diagnosis when you're younger, you're also witnessing the emotional toll it can take on your parents or guardians.

Finding ways to to talk to loved ones

I know how tough it is to voice out your feelings and to let people in. Hence, may this article help you verbalize your thoughts to share with your loved ones because these are the very same things that I constantly think of since I was diagnosed.

It’s not your fault

No, please don’t blame yourself. Please don’t feel guilty at all. Everything that’s been happening is beyond your control. No one could’ve expected this to happen. You didn’t cause this. You couldn’t have prevented it, too.

I know no parents would wish to see their children suffer. I know how much you’ve sacrificed to provide for me and to make sure that I’d have a comfortable life. I’m sorry you had to see me in pain.

Thank you, but know that you can only do so much

I am grateful for everything that you do. For assisting me in doctor appointments, for helping me out with whatever I needed, and providing for my medications as well. But know that you can’t do everything for me. You can’t take the pain away. You don’t have to carry everything on your shoulders. You don’t have to carry all the burden for me. There are things that I have to learn how to endure on my own.

I appreciate you, I see you, and all that you do. But you have your own life to live. Please don’t forget to take care of yourself, too. It pains me to see you frustrated because you're running out of ways to help me and make things easier for me, not knowing that you've done so much already.

You’re my support system

Thank you for being there, and for staying. Thank you for not getting tired. Know that I can’t rely on anyone but you, only you. These past few years might have been difficult for me, but I know how much it pains you too.

But these trying times are more bearable because I have you. Thank you for supporting me, for rooting for me, for cheering me on, and for being the only thing that keeps me going when I feel like I couldn’t go on anymore.

I’m trying. So hard

I know how great the future that you’ve planned for me is, and despite my illness, know that I’ll work hard as much as I can to make you proud. Although it might not seem much, please know that I’m trying my best to keep on pushing through.

This is my best, this is my 100%, and I am giving my all in everything that I do. Know that I am doing them for you, too.

We'll get through this, together

Know that I don’t want to go through this with anyone but you. Things may not have been great lately, but I am grateful that we're in this together, and we'll get through this together, too.

I love you and I'm blessed to have you.