Samira Rajabi

So often we tell ourselves stories about what being sick or well looks like, but sometimes we just have to be honest with the unknown.

There are so many beautiful things that happen when you're sick, like beautiful people who show up for you. But still, it can still feel lonely sometimes.

When life feels really big, it's natural to see only the worst case scenario. It's natural to see catastrophe looming. Whether or not a catastrophe is on the horizon, it is out of our control. So perhaps it is more fruitful to keep ourselves in the here and now, in order to live our best life possible.

Our bodies are fragile, but that doesn't mean we are not strong.

We all have people we love, and when we are sick, we may feel that we are not able to love them as fully as they deserve. But there are ways to express and accept love through the helplessness.

Ill or not, so many people suffer. But perhaps in sharing that suffering we can change the face of illness, health, suffering and everything in between.

Living through illness is never easy. It is so tempting to let diseases and diagnoses take our energy and make us bystanders in our own lives. But if every day of our life — even when full of suffering — is an adventure to be lived, how can we be a part of it? Because we must be a part of it.

In keeping a chronology of our moments of illness, we find ways to commemorate our life moments, both good and bad. We learn who we are, who we want to be and who we will become.

We often have to face things in illnesses that feel bigger than we think we can manage, yet somehow we balance the fear with the hope and find humanity in the process.