Life is a paradox.
Writing and illustrating about MEcfs is hampered by the physical and emotional stress of dealing with it. To really encapsulate what it is to live with MEcfs requires thinking deep into the pain, where it spreads across the body, and deep into the grief, the loss of a previous active life for a forced-sedentary, recumbent one.
Ironically, the very same pain and grief has helped Yvie to feel greater compassion and love, for herself and others. To feel peace of heart and mind. To be still more often. Life certainly is a paradox.
Illustrating MEcfs
4th July 2018 was the day I lost my independence. Oh, the irony. Of course, independence is a fickle thing, it is as much a mind battle as it is a physical challenge.
As much as I’d be willing to fight to say that my independence was never lost or found, it is a central struggle of my new existence with a diagnosis of ME (My-al-gic–En-ceph-a-lo-my-e-li-tis). Also known as Myalgic Encephalopathy (I’ve never used this) and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (least preferred), aka ME/cfs or MEcfs.
You can join me on this journey towards greater/found/re-discovered independence with a chronic illness. Notice how I’m keeping this notion as a progressive stance, not looking, or perhaps falling, backwards. But we probably both know, there’s hope, faith, reality, and there’s being disillusioned.
Whatever happens, you’ll have read about it here first.
