Just yesterday I saw a video of a little boy, Jonathan, diagnosed with so called Epidermolysis Bullosa which causes his whole skin to blister and peel off of his body. It looks like he's been in a massive fire but he hasn't. If you want to know more about Jonathan and his story, here is the video (x) I saw and if you want to donate money to help Jonathan and other people diagnosed with Epidermolysis Bullosa, you can do that here (x).
The main reason why I am writing this though, is because Jonathan and his story inspired me. If you watch the video, you will understand why. He's a young boy that goes through massive pain every single day of his life. His wraps take hours to be put on and off again, he has trouble putting on clothes, he has to face so many challenges in his young life.. yet, he is so strong.
Even though he is going through such pain every single day, he keeps on smiling. Instead of drowning in his own pity, he makes the most of his life. He does his homework regularly, he helps raise awareness of his disease, he is so dedicated to everything he does while still being so young.
I know each and everyone of us will think "Wow, if I was in his position, I wouldn't be able to be so strong and happy!". Well, most of us are not in his position, yet we still don't manage to be strong and live as happily as possible, but rather pity ourselves constantly.
I personally whine about so many things in life, that seem so ridiculous thinking about it now. If there is a limited edition make-up product that I really wanted but couldn't get my hands on, I will be so devastated. If something I planned doesn't turn out like it should have, I will be devastated. If my boyfriend makes me go to an italian restaurant even though I wanted chinese food, I'll be devastated. I will think to myself "God, I hate my life!". I remember in school when I got a bad grade, I would always cry and think about how my life is a mess. When a boy didn't like me back, I was falling into this big, sad hole every damn time. But in the end, nothing of it really mattered.
We focus so much on the negative aspects of our lives, instead we should focus on the good things. Just like Jonathan says.. there is so much things in life, so much you can do, so much that lies ahead of us.. Why would we want to miss out on that?
I went through a dark phase in my life where I was suffering severe depression and wanted to end my life many many times. But somehow, I got out of it. Because people like Jonathan inspired me. I know there is several people suffering from different diseases that decided on being strong and fighting and living life to the fullest, as long as they can, but there's also a lot of people that did not find this strength and ended their lives.
I do not want anyone to end their lives. I want everyone to stay strong and fight against these demons. No matter what is haunting you, whether it be mental (depression, anxiety, social phobia, etc.) or physical (EB, down syndrom, cancer, etc.), only you can make it better. You can get all kinds of medication, but if you do not have the will to fight, no medication is going to help you.
I want you to know that so many people care about you, and if you think nobody cares - I do care. Please fight, stay strong, live life to the fullest. You have to enjoy every moment of it, despite the struggles you might have to face. There is so much joy you're missing out on if you just give up. I know it's easier said than done, but you need to think about it. If you keep telling yourself your life is horrible, will that make you feel any better? Probably not. But if you think about all these beautiful things life has to offer, you might feel better.
No matter what disease you have, even if the doctors say it can't be cured or that you might not reach the age of 25 (or any other age) - you gotta make the most of the years/months/seconds that you still have.
I can only imagine how exhausting it has to be for Jonathan to get wrapped up every single day, get wrapped out again and wrapped up again, going through pain, going to all these doctors.. but the time he has in between, he uses wisely. I don't know him, but I am sure he has nights where he cries himself to sleep because he just can't take it anymore, but he still manages to get up the next morning and enjoy the happy moments in his life. And that's what everyone should be aiming for.
Let me tell you - It is okay to cry. It is okay to be sad sometimes, that's only human. The important thing though, is that we get up again. Nobody's life is perfect, nobody can be happy every single second of their life. It's natural to worry, to cry, to be sad from time to time, it happens to all of us. But I encourage and dare you to stay strong. There is way too many opportunities and moments of joy that you would miss out on if you gave up just like that. So please don't.
Stay strong!
xox, Julia
P.S.: I wish Jonathan and his family strength, happiness, joy, and everything good in life. Jonathan, if you ever see this - you rock! You are such a strong person, I am proud to say that you're a role model to me and surely to many, many others!
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