Opinion: Who needs pity?

Anybody can get pity for free if they ask for it, especially anybody with a medical condition. All you have to do is describe the shock of getting diagnosed, the various struggles you face, the frequent doctors appointments, blood draws, growth hormone shots, and increased risks from aortic dissection to type two diabetes in graphic detail. I feel like nine out of ten teenagers have not experienced anything similar, and the remaining ten percent for the most part know better than to invalidate someone else`s struggles, no matter their own.

Pity however comes at a price. People who pity you tend to view you as inferior to themselves, underestimate you,

I personally do not believe my life to be pityable, nor do I want to be seen as an "inspiration" for overcoming- What exactly? Overcoming Turner Syndrome, fighting Turner Syndrome? These kind of expressions get thrown around quite a lot, but while I am not Turner Syndrome by any means, I am Annelie who happens to have Turner Syndrome, that missing chromosome will always be part of my genome. If having Turner Syndrome did not allow me to be the person I am today - I would not be, it is as simple as that. You can hardly fight against something that is inside you, many people "fighting" cancer will agree, and fighting against what is written in your very genes is even more impossible. So do try twice as hard as others whenever something is more difficult for you, definitely, and you will achieve things you might not have believed possible, for sure. What I do want you to take away though, is that you are not the person you are in spite of having some horrendous disorder- you are who you are with having Turner Syndrome, and that is just another one of many things that make up you.

Which is neither tragic, nor to be pitied, in many cases. Wheter or not our stories are "inspirational" is not up to me to decide. I do however know that we do not have to be made anybodies pity cases, that we can do better than being celebrated for little, mondain achievements. "Oh, look, she is even able to drive, even able to hold a decent job". Please, stop that kind of talk. We can do so much better than just being smiley faces on posters begging for donations to some non- profit, better than "coping well with our limitations" or "being so brave". Maybe we cannot change having Turner Syndrome- and maybe, that is not even really the point, because "having Turner Syndrome" means something different to each affected person. In itself, it does not have to limit you in any way. So whenever you think there is something you cannot achieve- the only way to find out for sure is trying. And failing, and getting up and trying again. Just like it is for any other person. And the sky is the limit.

None of us have to make their whole lives about our genetic condition, none of us have to feel inferior to someone else because of it. Pity is for free, envy and even criticism have to be earned. They are what you get when people no longer assume you have to be wrapped in cotton wool- because you do not.

Some days are harder than others, and some people struggle more than others, but for the most part- our lives are not a burden on anyone. If you go looking for small imperfections and limitations, you will find them with everyone- and if you open your eyes to all the potential, the strong will and unique perspective on life- that is also just what you will see.

So keep your head up high, or you will drop you crown.