Experience

Just because we've experienced something in the past doesn't mean that we become experts. Sometimes it is enough to have a sense of what someone is going through. We can sit back and listen and share the feeling of pain. When asked, then we can supply what information we know.

It is often helpful to share experiences. One great way to do this is through our writing. We write about what we've been through so that maybe others can be more enlightened. I found myself on a site for stroke survivors earlier. The stories were heartbreaking. Some of these people were young adults when they had strokes. I'm not sure why I find myself so surprised since I was aware of a pediatric stroke study when I worked at the hospital years ago.

These survivors wrote of their experience in order to help the next person that finds themselves in similar shoes. A woman of my age feels her stroke was caused by the birth control pill. She is strongly advising against the "pill" and any means of hormone therapy. A low dose pill was being used to treat pre-menopausal symptoms. How often have we heard that the treatment is sometimes worse than the illness? It gets scary.

The problem with some of these sites is that they are discovered too late. A stroke survivor's site is most likely to be found by other survivors. I'm wondering if these stories might serve a better function of being more widely dispersed in order to be more proactive instead of reactive. These stories do help to support other survivors, of course, and their families and friends. These people are not alone and, unfortunately, their stories are not rarities.

Share your experiences. What you share may help someone else. Not all of us can build lovely web sites (see Poetic Acceptance for Grieving Parents) or devote extensive time to helping others. We have problems helping ourselves sometimes. Share what you've learned. You never know who it might help.