THE BATTLES WE FIGHT ALONE

I’d like to share a different part of my life with you today. I’ve hesitated many times about publicly posting about this, but it’s been something that’s greatly affected me -my health. In the summer of 2017, I suddenly got very ill after months of antibiotics for a staph infection. I had a host of odd and sometimes debilitating symptoms that no one could figure out. Some symptoms have disappeared, but others continue to this day.

I finally have a tentative diagnosis of chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction. I’ve been told all my symptoms may go away over time, or that I could have periods throughout my life where I’m faced with acute attacks of severe stomach pain. I don’t know and I still don’t know! I have spent the last year plagued by fear as to whether I could trust my health.

But if you’re facing a challenge I want you to realize it does not have to limit or define you. For example – I love tennis and was hoping to play tournaments last year. Every time I got stronger, I got knocked down due to my health. With each setback, I had to get brutally honest with myself and ask, “Do you really love this? Do you really want to try again knowing you could lose it without warning?” My answer was yes. It’s difficult to “start over,” but now each time I get on the tennis court, I play with more tenacity because it symbolizes my perseverance. I’ll never be a professional player, but my reasons for why I train give me an extra edge over someone who perhaps hasn’t had as many challenges.

This health hurdle has taught me several lessons:

Don’t fear obstacles.

Don’t fear the unknown.

Don’t fear what people might say.

You can’t please everyone, but you can own your truth so that people’s opinions don’t dictate your self-esteem.

Most importantly, get out of your head and hold it high. Live now! Keep learning, keep growing, keep trying. No one is perfect. No one is immune to difficulties whether they choose to talk about them or not. What we can control is how we respond to hardships. Will you allow adversity to shrink or strengthen you? I’ve chosen the latter. ~Britt?