Going from Miles to Inches

It’s that last mile of the race – you feel your mouth getting drier and your breath getting heavier. You see the track getting smaller and your surroundings start to blur. Your legs have grown weak from the previous miles, and it seems like asking them to push through just one more is preposterous. Suddenly, you hear claps and cheers and chants. The blurred sidelines crowded with people start to come into focus in your peripheral, and you feel their encouragement rush through you. More claps, more cheers, more chants, and those spectators with cups of water in their hands stretched out, your dry-mouth is instantly cured. Gulping down the refreshing water as well as the crowds’ support, that last mile turns into a couple of inches. Your legs burst with energy, your lungs get a second wind, and your body is rid of defeat. Thousands of claps, thousands of cheers, and thousands of chants. You collapse at the finish, panting with a smile on.

Defeat is really only a state of mind, and your strength can build, crushing all negative thoughts with the encouragement and support of others. 

Receiving news about your life-changing diagnosis, a chronic disease with no cure like pulmonary hypertension, can trigger feelings of sadness and despair. Many challenges are faced while you’re figuring out how you’re going to live with these new limitations, ones that you may not have ever thought you would have to experience in your day-to-day life. It’s these challenges that can really start to weigh on a patient and make it seem as if their surroundings are blurring, their passions might be getting pushed aside, and their dreams may start to lose their focus, even slipping past their peripheral sight. 

Regaining the strength to reignite a thirst for life is heavily contributed to by community. Patients don’t have to crawl and climb alone, specifically those who are living with pulmonary hypertension, as there are organizations, just like Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA), that offer a multitude of resources. Support groups engage in conversation with those who may be experiencing the same challenges, but most importantly the same successes. Seeking out local specialists also provides security and comfort. Receiving care from doctors whose careers are dedicated to your specific needs can greatly improve the journey of finding the right treatments that work specifically for you.
 
Another facet that provides a more tangible support are products and tools that cater to a patient’s limitations. PoppyPocket, a product I created for my father who was diagnosed with colorectal cancer, offered him an alternative to the bulky fanny-pack that carried his transfusion pump delivering his medication. Since PoppyPocket allowed him to discreetly wear his pump underneath his clothes, he was able to sleep comfortably, without worry, and he was able to regain freedom in his mobility. All aspects of community, organizations, doctors, clinics, support groups, events, products, tools, etc. infuse freedom into every patient’s life. 

For those who are living with any illness, all of these resources are your glasses of water. All these resources are there on the sidelines of your fight clapping, cheering, and chanting. You aren’t alone; your miles of challenges and struggles will feel like inches, with the support of your community. 

Live boldly,

Julie at PoppyPocket. 

http://poppypocket.net/

http://poppypocket.wordpress.com/

https://www.facebook.com/PoppyPocketLLC?fref=ts

Photo credit:

Runners: http://www.flickr.com/photos/48932289@N03/4555346592/sizes/l/in/photostream/