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Why I Write About Chronic Illness
In honor of Trigeminal Neuralgia Awareness Day on October 7th, it’s my responsibility to use my voice to raise awareness, understanding, and empathy for this condition that changed my life overnight.
This coming Wednesday is Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN) Awareness Day. Before 2017, I had never heard of TN, forget considering the possibility of being diagnosed with it. But the day of my TN onset instantly granted me admission into an exclusive community for whom October 7th would no longer be just another day. It is a day that straddles the blurred lines between pain, frustration, grief, desperation, exhaustion, and hope.
Always hope.
To be diagnosed with a condition that is seemingly perpetual, rare, and without direct treatment or cure is beyond articulation. It insinuates itself into your life without invitation or warning so that you struggle with seeing yourself beyond a system of symptoms and side effects.
After diagnosis, you have a rude awakening to a new life.
Seeking information
My formal diagnosis of TN didn’t happen until about two weeks after its onset — which is, frankly, quite fast given that some people have had to wait months, years, or even decades to understand what is happening to them.
