Feeling Close

[Guest guest]

My thoughts

have been prompted by Sher’s words in response to looking at the

Taste of Tassie Photos..

Feeling Close on This Forum:

Cyberspace & this Group has given me the chance to reach out &

find others in the same situation as myself. In local media outlets, there

are touching, heartfelt articles, stories, awareness & research funding campaigns

about Breast Cancer, Depression, Heart Disease, Motor Neurone Disease, Multiple

Sclerosis… all sorts of things & all very well & as it should be,

BUT…. NEVER about OUR condition!

What makes it even worse is that whenever LUNGS are mentioned it’s

ALWAYS a negative campaign with lots of ‘blame’ attached to people

causing their own illnesses! At the moment we are subjected to the grossest

images of smokers with various forms of cancers including the absolutely most

DISGUSTING pictures of Mouth Cancer plastered across our TV screens (Right on

Dinner Time!)

It never fails to make me feel marginalised!

We really only have each other to turn to… & in Australia that

means precious few (which of course is great in some ways!)

It IS important to feel emotionally close to each other… & sharing

our lives as well as our illness is a great way of doing just that. Somehow it demonstrates

that we are more than our illness… & we can put the effect of the

condition firmly in the context of each of our lives. We’re here for the

Long Haul & that means talking about our everyday lives as much as our

illness.

Not only that we can ‘feel ‘ each other’s personality

in our humour, venting, rages, tears, sorrows, stories, & general seemingly

‘about nothing’ messages….it’s AlWAYS about

something!...... which is great since most of us are never likely to meet each

other in the flesh!

Love you Air Family..couldn’t DO without you!

Cheers,

in

Oz

IPF:

Fibrotic NSIP/UIP ??

Reynauds'

May

2007