Dear Stefani,
I know there are days when with the depression, the anxiety, and the fibromyalgia, it all feels like it gets too much. I know that there are days where you just want to hide from the world. I know these things, because like you, I have fibro, I have depression, and I have anxiety, although mixed in with a myriad of other conditions. But you are amazing.
Your strength and determination shine through with everything you do, and watching your documentary tonight made me cry. I cried the tears of a fellow chronic pain warrior, I nodded and recognised that “my body says no but I say yes” moment when filming in the desert, I recognised the exhaustion and the way you hid the pain until you couldn’t, I recognised the need to sleep whilst others keep going.
I’m still fighting for medical help to control my pain, still searching for ways to keep going. My body has rejected the NSAIDs, the opiates, etcétéra, and lidocaine patches give me minimal help. Watching your documentary gave me a reminder that I can and should keep on fighting. It’s only through talking about what we go through that we can help others to see they aren’t alone.
I don’t have as wide an audience as you do, but I hope that in my own way, as a blogger, a contributor for The Mighty, and an indie author and artist, I can help raise awareness that chronic pain is real and a battle we need to fight. Thank you again for being so honest about yours.
Five foot six in a wheelchair,
N. A. Le Brun
(Scribblenubbin)
nalebrun.com 