It was the day my worst nightmare became my reality — and it was all thanks to an anger-filled teacher’s slip of the tongue.
The whole cast of the musical revue — in which I was the only freshman girl — knew about my illness after this happened. The same chronic illness I’d spent a lifetime trying to hide.
I outright quit the musical revue, and in a mix of shock and horror, I began the painful walk home. I’m glad I had my ever-loyal childhood best friend walking right by my side.
With each step, I opened a new floodgate of tears.
I thought my life was over. I thought the cast of the musical revue would never look at me the same, the secret I had tried so hard to hide would spread around the school like a virus, and I would never be the Megan I was before everyone knew about my illness.
But do you know what happened?
I got a phone call from an unknown number. When I answered the phone, the whole cast sang a song by P!nk:
“Pretty, pretty please, don’t you ever, ever feel/Like you’re less than perfect/Pretty, pretty please, if you ever, ever feel like you’re nothing/You’re perfect to me…”
I then heard screams of “We love you, Megan” shouted by countless people crammed into a tiny car.
I could barely get out the words “thank you” because a river of tears started flowing through my eyes. My first smile of the night crept across my lips.
As I hung up the phone, I just grabbed onto my childhood best friend and bawled — for an entirely new reason.
The day I thought my life was over — the day my teacher shared my illness without my permission — I was met with love.
There may be multiple times in our lives when we feel hopeless — like the pain will never end. It may feel like your world is ending — like maybe life isn’t even
liking
life
feelings
My Chronic Illness
