Is this a battle I can ever win?

Can I,

An unarmed soldier battle against these terrifying monsters?

How can I be expected to fight an enemy,

So powerful,

So unforgiving?

Master of The universe,

WHAT???!!!what do you want from me?

My reflux is out of control.

The only Dr who can help has his next appointment in a month.

My heart is tachycardia and I can’t sleep because of it.

In the darkness,

The pain hits so hard,

Harsh reality seems unbearable when not softened by light.

Can I go on,

When hope has fled,

Can I find the strength,

When my strength ebs?

Can I carry on,

When there’s no end in sight,

Can I find the one star,

In the dark, stormy night?

I grab on to my lifeline,

In the darkness of a night,

That seems,

Like it,

May never end.

There are so many people who are going through life like me.

People who understand.

People who care.

I can connect to those people

Even when I want to say things

I would never say to people I know.

They emphasize with my struggles.

They offer their advice,

From all the timed,

They went through the same things,

Thank you to all those who support me.

Who are there for me.

Family,friends,social media.

If you don’t have one already,

Its time for you to find a support group.

Whether it’s an app, a group,

A face to face meeting,

A close friend you can call in a time of need,

They will be there when you need them most.

They can be your light in the dark times.

Today’s challenge:join a support group or if you already have one, talk to them .

To that end, I am featuring a interview with Jane Brown, of Disabled people want to meet up to!

The life:

Good morning!I’m so interested in what your organization is and what you do!

Jane brown:

Good morning!

Here is a bit of explanation from our page:

This Meetup is for those of us who have a disability, whether visible or invisible. We meet every Saturday from 1:00 to 4:00 in the Solid Grounds coffee house.

My Story: One typical Thursday afternoon I was at work (as I had been for 27 years) when I was told by my neurologist to stay home for 3 months. He had watched for years as the stress of my job took an increasing toll on my health and when I called him that afternoon he put his foot down ~ the progressive illness (MS) that I had since being diagnosed in 1985 had finally led to my being disabled.

What happened then surprised me – a lot! Overnight I ceased to exist. People I had known and worked closely with for years either ignored me or talked down to me like I was a child. A child who had done something bad, REALLY bad. Most of my friends/coworkers forgot that I existed and I was at home with no friends, no idea where my life was headed, no future!

So, I created this group one Saturday in October, 2009, when I was feeling really puny and alone and voila! I have made many wonderful new friends who understand me! My only desire was to make one new friend. I was desperate to connect with another human being who could understand me. I didn’t want to be analyzed, lectured to, or criticized. I was tired of being patronized and belittled by “normal” people who asked questions that struck me as being really idiotic [what do you do all day to keep from being bored?], critical [don’t you want to work anymore?], or just amazing [are you enjoying your time off?] — HUH!!! I would do almost anything to be back at work. I wanted some semblance of my old life back!

If my story made sense to you and you found yourself nodding your head as you read it, I hope you will join us.

You won’t be judged or analyzed but you will meet some fantastic people who have been where you are and won’t ask any stupid questions.

Jane (Organizer)

All I do is approve/decline requests for membership, answer correspondence, host weekly meetups, and host an annual summer’s end picnic. After reading this, let me know if you have any specific questions.

The life :

Thanks so much! As someone with MCAS, I can really appreciate what you are doing. I was out of school for weeks because of my severe allergies, and It was a very painful, lonely time. I have felt very isolated and misunderstood too many times.

My next question is, what’s the most rewarding thing about the meetups?

Jane Brown:

I love it when a regular member stops attending because they’ve gone to a job or otherwise restarted their lives. This is especially true when I remember when they first joined, and how fearful and ill they were. Watching people gain confidence and seeing seriously depressed people smile and laugh is so heartwarming!



Members show up timid and broken and their 1st meetup is always predictable – they will either sit quietly and listen to the chatter, sometimes with tears flowing, or they will talk for hours, nonstop; in both cases amazed [“I didn’t know there were other people like me!”]. And they leave smiling.

The life:

that sounds amazing! I’m so happy that there is such a great place.

How have you personally benefited from Disabled people want to meet up to?

Jane Brown:

Oh absolutely!

The group gets me out of my own issues and reaching out to members never ceases to let me down. The love and admiration I feel for these people is boundless, they are all amazing. Words fail me, some of them face odds every day that are nothing short of astounding.

My respect for the disabled is enormous.

The life:

Thank you so much for sharing! One last question, how can my readers join?

Jane Brown:

They can join the group atwww.meetup.com

Thank you Jane, for this oopportunity to spread the word about a n amazing place! 🙂

Which support group are you a part of?