I was labeled as different in school because I was always in the nurse's office, coughing, or eating like a pig. It all started in elementary school and still happens today, even though I am in college online.
In reality, I wasn’t in the nurse’s office that often, other than at lunchtime, and it was usually to get my enzymes or to test my blood glucose level. The time away from my classmates left me with a lot of unwanted negative attention at school, and even though I loved school, there were times I would beg not to go.
As I got older, I realized that it wasn’t worth getting upset over the negative comments because, at the end of the day, the bullies didn’t matter when I went home to my family. I became the “weird one” in high school because I didn’t want to do anything else other than get my lunch and then do my homework. This helped me protect myself from a lot of the comments from other students.
Being told that I didn’t look sick, so I had to be faking it, was definitely a comment that hurt. However, I started to stop caring about what people said, even if what they said was hurtful.
I didn’t struggle too much during my freshman year of high school, but I struggled a lot when it came to my sophomore year. I was diagnosed with CFRD and Type 2 diabetes — and endured a lot of bullying again. My emotions were all over the place after this new diagnosis, and when I started getting bullied again, it made things worse for me both physically and mentally.
The struggle to fit in was hard for me, but now that I’m in college and somewhat on my own, I’ve learned that the bullying and negative comments I experienced helped to shape me into the person I am today. Those experiences motivated me to pursue a psychology degree with the hope of helping people who are going through what I have been through.
Throughout all my years of being bullied, I had thought to myself that it would never end or that it would get worse. It seemed like that at the time, but now I realize that no matter how hard I try to be like someone else, it's better to be myself. I was a nerdy student with an illness, but I never let it define me — and always showed the haters that no matter what they said, it did not stop me from being me!
To my readers, no matter your age, never let someone bring you down because, in the long run, YOU are in the driver’s seat! Be yourself, and don’t be ashamed to be you.
Interested in sharing your story? The CF Community Blog wants to hear from you.
