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Half of all adults in the United States have at least one chronic illness. This can range from around 20% of people ages 45 to 64 and jumps to 80% of people over the age of 65. With these rates, about 45% of adults help aid a loved one with a chronic condition at some point in their life. Chronic illnesses are those that are not immediately curable and are present for an extended period of time. Some of the most common examples in the United States include diabetes, chronic headaches or migraine, epilepsy, arthritis, and asthma.

We’ve all had moments where we feel at odds with ourselves. Maybe it happens when our partner says something hurtful. In that moment, part of us wants to run out of the room; part of us feels vulnerable and hurt; part of us knows they didn’t really mean it, and part of us might feel ashamed of having these feelings at all. We might even tell a friend later, “Part of me wanted to scream at him and part of me was so embarrassed that I even cared.

Receiving a disability (intellectual, processing, emotional) diagnosis for your child, you almost feel as though you are being prepped for a battle. You are forced to justify your child’s existence and their right to all of the opportunities available the moment those words are uttered to you. Welcome to your new, never-ending and intimate relationship with the medical world. While the diagnosis can take on a role in your life that is unplanned, unwanted and emotional, you would do it all over again for your child -- because you are their biggest fan, advocate and supporter.