The sad thing is that I was going so far out of my way to accommodate others, that I was putting my own mental and physical health in jeopardy. This was when I began to realize something. The only person who has any say in the validity of my life experiences is me. People may be “uncomfortable” hearing about what I’m going through, but I guarantee they’d be far more “uncomfortable” actually living through it. I also realized that as an individual suffering from a rare condition, I have a unique opportunity to change the narrative and stigma surrounding this community. But the only way to do that is to stand with courage in your convictions and speak your truth. If people, in turn, choose to judge you… guess what? They are not “your” people.