Cushing's Awareness Day is coming up on April 8th!

April 8th is Cushing's Awareness Day, it was Dr. Harvey Cushings' birthday - the man to first describe, diagnose and treat this disease. Many Cushies (as we call ourselves) have participated in a 30-day blog challenge, posting every day for the month of April, sharing more information to educate the public, medical professionals, and hopefully help someone just starting out on this path to skip some of the heartache and time it can take to get answers and a diagnosis. 

Cushing's is a disfiguring, disabling, and isolating disease.  Most people do not understand the wide-spread, drastic, and devastating effects it can have on your mind, body, and emotions.  The fat-bias of our society means that we are continually treated as though we have brought our illness and symptoms upon ourselves.  We're just fat and lazy, it couldn't all be caused by a tumor!  It can be disheartening and hurtful.  Often, those who should be the most supportive do not understand and don't make the effort to learn.  Even doctors are rarely helpful, and can be just as biased, uneducated, and even down-right mean. 

Because of this, we Cushie's have banded together.  We quickly jump to help others in need and develop bonds quickly.  Despite the miles between us, we often become very close friends...even family.  We help each other understand what is going on in our minds and bodies, give suggestions on how to cope, we empathize, we teach what to expect, and share each others heart aches and especially joys.  Few understand the joy and relief that can come from being told you have a tumor on your MRI or need brain surgery!  We help each other find doctors who are helpful, educated, compassionate, skilled and TRUE GOD-SENDS.  We learn from each other, and in the end, become experts in our disease, knowing more than most doctors.  What has amazed me the most is that despite our usually completely drained finances and emotional- and physical- energy, Cushies are some of the most caring and giving people I have "met" in my existence.  Not just in the less-tangible ways, but in very real, outwards ways as well.  I've received calls, messages, gifts, a fundraiser to help pay for my medication when I had no insurance (From the UK to Alaska!), many offers for housing and car rides while traveling for testing and treatment, and even a travel companion for my next surgery!  I am not somehow an unusual recipient --this is the norm.  We open our hearts and our lives to each other.  The National Organization for Rare Disorders' slogan is SO applicable:

Alone we are rare, together we are strong.