Below is a wonderful poem, by Kathryn Treat (author of the soon to be released: Allergic to Life: My Battle for Survival, Courage and Hope), about women who suffer with Environmental Illness (EI), Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS), Toxic Loss of Intolerance (TILT) or just plain chemical sensitivities (chemical sensitivities is a description of symptoms, it’s not a diagnosis)–these conditions are nearly all the exact same thing, depending on which country you live in. Kathryn is a mould surviver. A. Survivor. Someone with great tenacity, and admiral strength for life, and a gift for helping others while sharing her amazing story. I find great inspiration in all of her posts. You can visit her blog here.
WHO ARE WE?
Who Are We?
We are the women of environmental illness
stripped of our “identities”
The ones who no longer feel
so “feminine:
Who Are We?
We are the women who
feel older than our years
We were the caretakers of
our families
Our families are now
our caretakers
Who Are We?
We are the women whose faces
are bare, lashless eyes, pale
cheeks and colorless lips
Gray streaks of hair now replace
what was once a radiant
glow of color
Who Are We?
We are the women whose
bodies have been ravaged
We have lost our food, our
electricity, our vitamins and
our organs
We are the women who are
thin and frail
Who Are We?
We are the women who
struggle each and every day
We endure being poked with
needles, baking in a sauna
and countless physiological
and neurological reactions
Who Are We?
We are the women who walk
around behind masks of charcoal
Our smiles and frowns and lovely
lips hidden to the world
We are the women who secretly
cry out in the darkness of our
empty rooms – yearning
for the life we once had
Who Are We?
We are the women who are
stronger than we could ever
imagine ourselves to be
The Women who daily stare
adversity in the face
The Women who have revealed
our true selves to the public
Who Are We?
We are the women who have
given up our identities in
return for new ones
Gone are our contacts, hair color
and make up
Gone are our dressing in trend and
latest fashion-dos
Who Are We?
We are the women who
will survive
The women unafraid of
unmasking our true selves
We are the women who can
say, “This is the real me!”
Who Are We?
We are not the make-up, the
clothes or the hairstyles
We refuse to be measured
by fashion or trend
We are women
and we will fight to
the bitter end?
This Poem has been reprinted with the authors full permission.
Oh, and if you’d like a laugh (especially if you are sensitive and go to funny/strange lengths to avoid chemicals – or have had to accommodate someone with a sensitivity to chemicals) then you absolutely must read this!
Your thoughts?