According to the National Cancer Institute, chronic disease is: “An illness or condition that usually lasts 3 months or longer and may worsen over time. Chronic diseases tend to occur in older adults and can usually be controlled but not cured. The most common types of chronic diseases are cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and arthritis” (National Cancer Institute). At first glance it might seem like a short summary, but to someone who is reading it personally, the definition could be explained in pages and pages. You have a chronic illness. The phrase you never wanted to hear. The phrase you thought you should never hear. People hear “chronic illness” and think; it's a condition you're stuck with for life. But it's not just an illness that lives at the back of your life. It's just not something you'll accept. It's just not something you'll learn to live with. If only they knew the whole story. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Chronic illness has a different definition for each person. Every person has a different story attached to them. Over the years I have come to a summed up conclusion about what chronic illness means to me. It's when hospitals become my second home and, in some aspects of my life, my first home. It means that doctor's appointments will be a definite part of your schedule, indefinitely. It means quickly learning to bring your own pillow for long-haul hospital stays. Scientific tests become routine, taking x-rays is no different than taking a shot from the camera. Having blood drawn from your veins becomes just another task to check off your list, like grocery shopping. It means not having money aside for rainy days, because in our world rainy weather is the climate that lasts all year round. Even if it's not stormy, it's always drizzling lightly. Chronic disease is pain confined within the body. It begins to brew under the skin where no one can see it, and when it reaches the surface of the skin to the point of "looking sick," it often culminates in life-threatening situations. Chronic illness is the concept of knowing that there is no cure. No cure means no hope. It's a tragic situation. People hope you feel better soon, they say you need to get a lot of rest. The irony is that no amount of sleep will fix this problem. It's like a cheap charger for your phone. You use it expecting to have a full battery, but you wake up with only 60% charge. You try reconnecting it but you never know how much more battery you'll get. You accept what you have and learn to deal with it. Chronic illness doesn't get better, it can only get worse. People need to stop telling people who are going through this to get over it. It's something that has changed your whole life, you have the right to struggle with it. You don't have to prove your illness to anyone. Walking into the cardiologist's main office I could feel my hands frosting with sweetness. I sat down and the doctor started talking. He got straight to the point, which I wasn't expecting. “If you suffer from arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, you will need to stop playing sports immediately and will need to undergo surgery within the next week. I felt my heart stop. I've always thought people exaggerate when they say their hearts are broken. But now I understand where they're coming from. My heart fell to the ground and my eyes became dim. Everything was in slow motion as I looked at my parents, who were watching my reaction. I didn't do anything. I couldn't do anything. I got up and went out into the corridor. I heard the.