The Gifts of Vasculitis by Lynn Corwin

This is a remarkable example of the power of perspective. I reprint it here in case you have not yet seen it. - JWC

Cleveland Ohio Vasculitis Foundation Chapter - The Gifts of Vasculitis by Lynn Corwin
Original article can be found here

The Gifts of Vasculitis
by Lynn Corwin

Vasculitis has given me so much more than it has taken from me. Let me explain.

I have a new appreciation for life that I didn’t have before. Every day is more meaningful because I realize how important every single day really is. We all have a finite amount of days to live; we are all going to die someday. Being diagnosed with vasculitis forced me to think about the fact that I might not live forever, which is sort of what I offhandedly thought. I see now that each new day that I wake up on the correct side of the grass is a good day. No matter how difficult things have been, or how concerned I am with the many negative things going on in my life…each new day holds promise. And I try to concentrate on what is going right in my life. I love each and every morning. What a gift!

I have a new kind of empathy and compassion that I didn’t have before. I never stopped to realize that sometimes people that look perfectly healthy are not. There are things wrong with many of us that do not show. If someone had a broken leg or a skin disease, I could certainly sympathize because I could see what was wrong. But now I know that some of the people that look the best have the most problems. I now care about all the difficulties people are having, not just the troubles I can “see”. I feel that I have a deeper understanding, and that “everyone is fighting some kind of battle”. So I try to be kind to everyone I meet. Having vasculitis has given me this beautiful gift of compassion which has made me a better person than I ever was. What a gift!

I have made some wonderful friends that I never would have known had I not had vasculitis. When I think of how empty my life would be without Shannon, Jane, Heather, Robert, Mark, and so many others, I realize that these “vasculitis friends” are such a blessing. If I had been healthy, I wouldn’t have met (online or in person) some of the loveliest, kindest, caring people all over the world. These people have supported me and enriched my life beyond measure, and they are my true blessings. What a gift!

And some of these wonderful new friends are people who have lost a loved one to vasculitis. Somehow I find the words to comfort them and guide them towards working for the cause to honor their loved one. These people live in agony, yet I have helped them to live with their pain. Before vasculitis, I couldn’t and wouldn’t have known what to say. I would have just turned a blind eye to their suffering. Now I can help them walk the walk. What a gift!

I have learned to accept myself and other people in a non-judgmental way. I have accepted my own unattractive physical changes due to vasculitis, which has raised my self-esteem considerably. It’s what’s inside of me that defines who I am. Before vasculitis, I put a great value on “looks”. I know we are in a world filled with all kinds of people, and I respect them all. I no longer have to be right all the time, nor does everyone have to do things my way in order to get them done properly. I am so much more laid back and likeable than I was before vasculitis came knocking at my door. I accept my own and other peoples’ faults and philosophies with a kindness I never knew I had. (probably because I didn’t have it before) What a gift!

I now know that people are dying and crippled because they didn’t get their vasculitis diagnosed in a timely manner…reason being, most medical people don’t know anything about vasculitis, although I have encountered some unbelievable doctors and allied medical personnel specializing in vasculitis who have helped me tremendously on my journey. So I have made it my mission to raise awareness of this disease in the medical and lay arenas. It has become a full-time job for me; a labor of love. I’ve never done anything particularly memorable in my life until now, and I feel I am really helping and making a difference in the lives of those who are affected by vasculitis. It is a warm and wonderful feeling. What a gift!

So the bottom line is – I have an incurable disease that has presented me with both challenges and opportunities. Vasculitis has given me so much more than it has taken from me…what a gift!