Andrea Gibson - Gender in the Key of Lyme Disease

[@ChronicallyCurious1]

This spoke to my heart and represents chronically ill life so truthfully, thank you Andrea

[@julieh80]

Feel this so much. Grateful for you ❤️

[@faigler]

This made me tear up. I have my own stuff, but my own love toughs out EDS and POTS (etc) which, while not Lyme Disease, affects the body in ways that made this really really relatable -- and that balance of helping and being helped with my own things and knowing when it's okay to let them refuse help from the outside is in this too. As a word lover I really loved the ticks/clock pun, also

[@catherinekatechimoyo3573]

"I tell myself, I couldn't lift a backpack if my heart was in it." Good Lord, how these words pierce a stoned heavy heart.

[@Tinaxoxo413]

Having lyme disease is like going to bed at 24 and waking up 80. Every day I just wish my nightmare would end an today would be the day that my heart stopped beating. I try to be strong for my family and I don't let any one see me on my worst days. I use to fake smiles an laughs until it got too exhausting and I just slowly slipped away from every one. Isolation is my only friend. It's the only time I can truly be myself. This disease has taken my life. I have given up. I don't live any more, I just exist with bare minimum effort. Watching the years go by, my entire 20s slipped away an all I can remember is the pain and sadness. I don't want to live this way any more but I don't have any other choice for my families. Now it's eating my mind. I can't remember any thing, I can't sleep, my vision is going blurry, I can't keep up with work. People that aren't sick always want to cheer you up or give you unsolicited advice that they have no idea about. Every one thinks diet & exercise will cure this life destroying disease an it makes me want to scream. I am stuck. I hate my life. I hate this disease. And if I just had one person in my life I could talk to that truly understood what I go through or what it takes to even get me out of bed every day when my legs don't want to work, or my hips feel like they're grinding, or just any thing, would be fucking amazing. I hate that I'm doing this alone. And if it was socially acceptable and legal, I'd chose to end it. I don't want to live this way any more.

[@annekaspice3922]

⁠ Thank you for sharing this - your words are devastating and powerful, and I have learned a lot from these words. I am not sure where you’re at now. Even though I can’t truly relate, I am bearing witness to your pain and honouring your strength, although you should never have to be that strong. I hope you have found someone who can listen and understand, but if not, I will listen even if I don’t understand. 💙💙

[@poet2681]

Wow . Just Wow . I felt every single word . I related to a lot of this. So many lines jumped out at me and hit me in my heart, especially the last line about the weight of hiding . Thank you Andrea for your beautiful voice and expression.

[@meeloweelo3796]

Andrea gibson stay winning

[@TomekhaMcCarthy]

😭😭😭😭❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤😭😭😭😭

[@JP-xs5lo]

I can relate to the suffering and the lose is to much to calculate you can’t get time back it’s the one thing that’s the most valuable I don’t think it can be understood how much the true pain of a brain infection is I have the same persistent Pain all over my body feels not my self on level that I can’t convey to anyone. Hope we can find a public diagnoses and treatment so this can be brought into reality i mean we have to find treatment but nothing is going to change if we don’t fight for public recognition of this disease.

[@daxter956]

I can't stop reading the title as something to do with key lime

[@ButtonPoetry]

Ha! I did the exact same thing just now =) Great minds!

[@tori8154]

beautiful

[@Lalala0714]

BVT. I hope it helps you.