Bullying and Chronic Illness

   Yes, I've changed my entire layout and format, but I'll get into that in another blog.  Because while I was working on it in a totally different mindset and mood, something else happened and it completely pissed me off.  Bullying.  Playground bullying and classroom bullying is one thing.  Most of us growing up (or still growing up) have either been the victims of it or bullies ourselves.  (I was on the receiving end of it most of my life).  And kids can be cruel.  It's a sad fact of life.  You get bullied or teased because you're too short, too fat, too skinny, too smart, too stupid, too loud, too quiet, you name it, some insecure little jackass can make you a target, well, because you're different.  But to a point, it's normal.  Until lines get crossed.  Then it's time to step in.  Now with all this technology, it's even easier to bully behind a cell phone or a computer screen.  Kids (and adults alike) are braver.  And crueler. 
   I'm connected to several health awareness groups online.  Many of us work together to help those with chronic illnesses, the families, loved ones, and friends of those understand what these illnesses are, and what it's like to live with these chronic illnesses.  And above all, to raise awareness of them.  Many of these illnesses are autoimmune diseases.  While Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis receive a lot of attention, dozens, if not hundreds go almost unacknowledged, except for the patients, family members, friends, and doctors who manage these "invisible illnesses." But they're just as real. Just as devastating.  Just as painful.  And in some cases, even worse because less research is done on them, less awareness is spread, and more ignorance of them exists. When my friend asked me to step on board with the project for our page, I admit my ignorance as to just how many of these diseases existed and just how horrible some of them could be.  I knew of a few of them:  Lupus, RA, Chrohn's, Sclerodoma, Sarcoid, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, MS, MD, and a handful of others.  I had never heard of Juvenile Dermatomyositis, Polymyositis, and countless other diseases.  The ones that hit home?  Are the number of children and teenagers that suffer from these diseases.  And I admit that it makes me feel like a total wuss sometimes when I feel like giving up as I fight to keep it together because I'm over a decade of not working, finding out I was misdiagnosed, mistreated, and still have no clue what's making me sick, yet these amazing kids are dealing with this with grace and strength.  And some are even dying.  Like Mason.  Ten years old.  Of complications of JDM (Juvenile Dermatomyositis). 
      I found out yesterday that one of the pages I follow and work with is that of a 14 year old amazing girl battling (and God bless her, doing well with) JDM and Juvenile Arthritis (Nope, not your grandma's disease--do some research!!) has been bullied online by some scumbag.  Not her personal facebook page, but one she created to raise awareness of her diseases.  No, it's a FAR cry from the why me, pity me, look what this disease does, God isn't fair kind of pages.  It's based in fact, research, it shows how she's doing, the moments that are difficult (her weekly hospitalized infusions), to being able to go to a school dance and actually being able to wear heels!  (To a chronically ill, 14 year old girl, something as normal as that is HUGE!).  But aside from raising awareness of her disease and sharing other stories of kids with JDM, she is extremely positive.  And it's inspiring to so many people.  Including me.  But some scumbag--an adult, no less--has left messages and comments on her page that NO ONE should see.  Including insults, fake cures, and things I will not repeat because the girl's mother has removed them before they were seen as to not upset her.  And as if that was not bad enough, that same scumbag recruited friends and family members after she was reported and blocked!
    Now these are ADULTS bullying and attacking a 14 year old, chronically ill girl online.  Hiding behind computers.  On purpose.  We're not sure if anyone else was the target of such bullying, but we quickly sent messages out to other pages to publicly warn others about them, to make sure that they are quickly reported to Facebook and the proper authorities.  But it still pisses me off.  Why?  Because living with a chronic illness is difficult enough.  Most people don't understand us, or our illnesses.  For most, regardless of how much we try to educate them, they just assume we're lazy, pain killer addicted, government money sucking losers.  Because they're ignorant and have no desire to be any other way.  But to attack and bully a kid?  Blame them for their illness, tell them if they just got out and moved more they'd be fine?  Blame their parents for vaccinating them, or feeding them pesticide laden vegetables?  Would you lay into a cancer patient like that?  Or a kid with cancer?  Or the parents of a kid with cancer?  I didn't think so.  So before you decide to lay into a kid trying to make a difference by dispelling ignorance about his or her disease, or me for doing the same about other diseases while hiding behind a computer screen--go up to the top right corner of your browser, type the name of a few of the diseases into your search engine, and use respectable sites to learn more about them... or actually read some of the links on our pages to learn more before telling us what you think caused our diseases and what we need to do to cure them.  And above all, STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM OUR KIDS.  Come after the adults, you cowards!!!!