🏥 What it means to have grown up with chronic illness or medical trauma
Growing up with chronic illness or medical trauma meant your body became territory that others could invade without permission, teaching you early that physical vulnerability and helplessness were normalized experiences.
You may have navigated adult medical realities while other children played, creating a premature awareness of mortality and physical fragility that shaped how you see the world. Medical procedures and hospital stays defined much of your childhood, making your body feel like it could betray you at any moment. You learned to endure pain that would overwhelm most adults, developing an incredible tolerance for discomfort and an ability to remain calm during medical crises that amazes healthcare providers.
You may have developed a complicated relationship with your body—either feeling disconnected from it as a protective mechanism or becoming hypervigilant to every sensation, always waiting for the next medical emergency. Medical settings still trigger a visceral response where even routine check-ups can flood you with memories of vulnerability and loss of control. You struggle to feel fully safe in your body, carrying a deep sense that health is fragile and illness can strike without warning, making it difficult to trust your physical self or plan confidently for the future.