I was 30 something when I first needed a disability placard. I remember the first time I had to use a scooter at Walmart. It was near Christmas, which means it was packed, and I was with my kids and husband. We turned a corner, and I ended up right beside an elderly man in a scooter. Before even thinking, I asked, “ do you want to race?” And we did ... without plowing into shoppers. That one interaction melted my self-consciousness about needing disability accommodations. 

Now that I’m a little older than that, I’m not always the youngest person at a specialist doctor. 

If you have an invisible chronic illness, you’ve heard a lot of funny and sometimes unintentionally hurtful comments like:

“You Don’t Look Sick!” “You’re too young to be sick/ in pain!”

“I wish I had a chronic illness so I could work from home!”

Here are some similar stories to read from others about being under 50 and chronically ill.

After COVID-19 quarantine this year, it’s easy for all of us to understand the isolation that comes with a chronic illness. If you have a friend or family member with a chronic illness like lupus, MS, Lyme Disease, and dozens of others, read this article and reach out to them today.

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