“I’m a homemaker, and I live with Rapid Cycling Bipolar I Disorder, Panic Disorder with Agoraphobia, PTSD, fibromyalgia and chronic migraines.
Vadim is my husband. He is also 32, a high school teacher, and lives with Major Depressive Disorder.
We have been married for over 3 years now. Our illnesses are challenging because my husband comes from a family that does not believe in mental illness and my very supportive family lives many states away. But we do not let our illnesses define us or stop us in anything that we do.
One big piece of advice that we have for others is to keep working on it and never give up. There are many dark days for us, especially now that I am out of the workforce (I used to be a student midwife and before that I was a very successful manager in the corporate world) due to my physical illnesses and PTSD, but we continue to take our medications, continue to actively participate in therapy, keep our appointments, and fight very hard to remain normal.
We still have dreams and goals (I plan to get my Ph.D. in Anthropology when I finish my midwifery apprenticeship so I can open an evidence-based midwifery practice, and he plans to get a Ph.D. in education to become a principal at a lower income Title I school) and we work very hard so we can achieve success professionally.
We are proof that you are not unlovable and you are worthy of amazing things. It is okay to be sick and it’s okay to be sick for a long time. I’m disabled myself right now and will be for at least the next two years. But it’s only forever if you let it be so. Continue to have goals and continue to defy the statistics.
“Do not go gentle into that good night… Rage, rage against the dying of the light.” – Dylan Thomas ”
Katlin’s blog; DangerouslyHonest
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PATREON’s THIS MONTH:
Stuart, https://www.flickr.com/photos/74009/
Harry, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRzs8M26VhrMJlKC5qEI2og
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Thank you for sharing your story. You are an inspiration. I hope you achieve all of your dreams. I know you will do good for others.
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