15 Quotes From People Who Understand What It’s Like To Live With Chronic Illness

By Jenny Lelwica Buttaccio 

We can all benefit from the wise words of others navigating the challenges of living with chronic illness, whether Lyme disease or a different health condition. With audacity and fearlessness, these 15 quotes were told by people deep in the trenches of their respective illnesses. They searched for hope, answers, and community, and they chose to share their discoveries with us all.

Wherever you’re at in your journey with Lyme, take heart in knowing many can relate to what you’re going through, and they’re willing to walk alongside you. 

1. “Courage wasn't only fighting your circumstances; sometimes making peace with your circumstances required more courage.” — Sonali Dev 

2. “Self-care has become a new priority — the revelation that it’s perfectly permissible to listen to your body and do what it needs.” ― Frances Ryan

3. “Redefine good, explore new possibilities, and cherish sweet moments.” ― Holly Dickson-Ramos

4. It's okay to grieve the losses of chronic illness. It's okay to be broken; everyone is in some way. Just because we're unfixable doesn't mean we're worthless.” ― Allison Alexander

5. “I have found that the people whom society has deemed to be the weakest are inevitably the strongest.” ― Michael Bihovsky

6. “The appreciation of accumulated small little moments can create a happier life.” ― Karen Duffy 

7. “Trying is an art even when you try and fail every time you get up and keep going. When you stop dreaming and fight for what you want and what is necessary that's when the real change and growth begins.” ― Keah Brown

8. “Ask for what you really want, not for what you think you’re allowed to have.” — Amelia Hill

9. “If I have found promise, it is because I’ve squeezed it from the seemingly impossible.” ― Naomi Whittingham

10. I stop to rest, pout and even cry sometimes, but always, I get back up. Life is giving me this challenge and I will plow through it, out of breath with my heart racing if I have to.” ― Amy B. Scher

11. “Pain diminishes us, and it is so important to remember, in the midst of pain and everything that pain takes from you, that still ... you are enough.” — Steve Leder

12. “That is what chronic illness is . . . a disconnect between what our souls can do and what our bodies can do.” ― Barbara Lieberman

13. "What if I stopped thinking of pain as something that needs to be numbed, fixed, dodged, and protected against? What if I tried to honor its presence in my body, to welcome it into the present?"  — Suleika Jaouad

14. “But maybe I could give myself something too—permission to keep trying. Even when it felt like it was all for nothing. Even if trying was all I ever did, I shouldn’t stop.” ― Laekan Zea Kemp

15. “Remember this: You are the expert of your body.” ― Sarah Hackley