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NB---skip to the 3rd paragraph if you're ADD and hate paragraph blocks. I won't judge you. Pretty much the point of 1 and 2 is I'm an x-men ;)

So when I started writing this I started thinking about what to say...this is actually really hard for me. Wow. I actually sound like I'm coming out, and it'd really be easier for me to just tell everyone I'm gay right now. Anyways...if you know me, maybe you met me in class or lab, and you kinda think I'm some silly/dumb person who thinks Sn2 jokes are funny, or make up songs like 'Soulja Cell' or 'Love in this lab'. Maybe (and hopefully) I've made you laugh once or twice and you kinda think I'm funny, or you think I'm lame in some cute way. Maybe I've comforted you or maybe I'm just there and you have no opinion. That's great and all. But what most/ a lot of you might not know is that I have Sickle Cell Anemia. Yeah I said it. And I'm honestly here shitting myself. I guess it's not really a big deal for most people now...but it's been a big deal in my life. If you don't know what that is...briefly...my blood cells are crescent or sickle shaped, and I get sick. A lot. Winter-sick.Summer-sick. Breathing-sick. loll. I joke about it, but I'm actually hospitalized for it a lot. And it's hard. It's hard to tell people why I've been missing for two weeks. In fact if you're a really close friend, or somebody who I don't completely trust, maybe I've told you oh I skipped, or I went home...or I was there you just didn't see me. I contemplate telling people, how I'm going to tell people, and I'm always fully prepared that I'm going to lose this person as a friend. It's hard not being able to tell people your only talent is speech writing since you've been a spokes person for a disease since you were 5. Especially if you have no other talents

More importantly I guess are the complications: So real quickly I'll just say, picture where your blood goes. All over your body right. Now imagine if at anyplace in your body there could be blockages because your cells are borderline retarded. Strokes, heart attacks. Every hear me complain about sports or running, or stairs, well my RBCs can't hold oxygen if their lives depended on it. See what I did there? Ever wonder why I think twice about rainy weather, winter, skiing, skating, and/ or swimming? Put me in one situation, and I'll let the ambulance explain. I've had seizures, intense pain anywhere you can name it, that puts me in the hospital on oxygen, and p.s I can down T3s like champ and take IVs anywhere without blinking-like a boss.

I'm writing this because something that got me through this was an Organization called Camp Jumoke. It WAS a place I could go swimming. It was a place I could go rock climbing. Most importantly it was a place I could know that I wasn't alone...that I didn't have to explain why I was crying because you poked my arm really hard. And that's important to anyone who is more or less has an illness that goes unrecognized everyday. This is my chance to give back. We have lots of events, like the bowlathon, which is coming up, where people can give their support to send kids to camp

SO

Yeah here it comes--

I'm asking people who feel like they want to (no obligation) donate to the camp. I know we're students. I won't judge you. Honestly gimme a penny and that'd be great.

OR you know...spread awareness that people like me exist. Say to a friend hey you wanna know what's funny? A single point mutation in the 7th amino acid , causes millions of people to get sick every year! --that's my favorite joke

Or just tell them your friend has a superpower (I'm immune from Malaria) YES!!!

Or if you're in Toronto!! Come BOWLING. It'll be uber fun, and you'll get free pizza, and like glowy-space bowling.

Or if you read to here you can come out and ask me about it or just smile awkwardly and avoid eye contact...while wondering if it's contagious (it's happened before)

Last thing: I'm not the only invisible illness so while I have your attention, I'm just gonna say if not to my illness, there are tons of other people suffering in silence. We're not CF, and we're not cancer...but we still make a difference. Or if you're me then you just whine a lot.