This week is invisible illness week.  I have a chronic but invisible illness.  People that don’t know me tend to think I am just lazy or a bitch.  I wish that people would take the time to get to know me before they judge me.  If you don’t have an invisible illness you don’t know what it feels like for people to not understand that there is a reason I am like I am.  Here are some stats that will shock you.  I know they did me!

• Nearly 1 in 2 Americans (133 million) has a chronic condition
• 96% of them live with an illness that is invisible. These people do no use a cane or any assistive device and may look perfectly healthy.
• That number is projected to increase by more than one percent per year by 2030, resulting in an estimated chronically ill population of 171 million. Chronic Care in America 
• Sixty percent of the chronically ill are between the ages of 18 and 64. 
• The divorce rate among the chronically ill is over 75 percent 

I got these stats from:http://invisibleillnessweek.com/2009/05/06/statistics_chronic_illness/.

There are so many different types of invisible illness.  This week I am having some great guest posters post about their invisible illnesses.  I will post my story on Tuesday and then the other days I will have some amazing women post about their struggles with their invisible but chronic illnesses.  I hope everyone can learn from these lady’s and be a little more excepting of others!