I talk a lot about the mental health aspects of Giselle’s curse, but not enough about the closely related chronic illness. A topic just as important! And very personal to me.
See, I was born at 25 weeks and spent months in the NICU. But I grew into a healthy child. Sure a little thin and needed a fair amount of orthodontics. But nothing major.
Then puberty hit and it was like being a passenger in a slow motion train wreck. Hypothyroid, hypoglucose, scoliosis, a cycle that wouldn’t stabilize… By the time I started working on this book, I was juggling several medications, battling frequent fainting spells, and working through regular bouts of insomnia.
Enter another diagnosis: Hypotension. Another medication: take by mouth three times daily. And I remember thinking as I wrote “At least none of my symptoms include unceasing pain. Poor Giselle. She’s going to hate me 🤣 I sure hope I’m portraying this right!”
Well, Giselle got her revenge this year 😝 I now know what chronic headaches feel like. She still got the short end of the stick. But I’m very much not a fan.
For everyone who’s daily routine involves a minor freak out over “Did I take my medication and was it the right one?”
For everyone who cries when the alarm goes off because they’re already exhausted and don’t know how they’re possibly going to make it through the day.
For everyone who pops pills like candy and still can’t find relief.
For everyone who feels like a failure because the to do list keep growing but their capacity shrinking.
I SEE YOU. GISELLE SEES YOU. And I hope her story makes you feel a little less alone.
Go with hope, friends 💛
Writer Rae Graham 