The Realization of My Chronic Dreams- A Personal Success Story

The Realization of My Chronic Dreams

5 Lessons learned:

You can’t put a price on your health
Don’t be afraid to reach out for help when you need it
Don’t feel ashamed of making mistakes
Celebrate your success and continue challenging yourself
Be grateful for the good in your life

Desperation Fueled Action

I was tired, frustrated and felt as though my doctor had failed me. I had never been sicker, and my health had been so well off before I started seeing the new doctor. He wouldn’t allow me to get the one treatment I knew would help, not without undergoing costly testing I knew was unnecessary. I had experienced the same symptoms before- I knew what was wrong.

With lots of encouragement from my boyfriend, I finally opened up to my aunt about my problems. It might seem silly to most people, but I felt ashamed of myself. I knew I was responsible for getting myself into the situation that I was in, even if my doctor refused to help. I blamed not only my doctor, but also myself.

My aunt was understandably concerned. Fortunately, my uncle is also a doctor. My aunt discussed the issue with my uncle, who reached out to my “old” doctor.

Eventually, I returned to my previous doctor, who knew my medical history well, and he put me back on Remicade right away. It took some time, but my health slowly got better. I recovered, although I worried about whether or not my “new” doctor had set my prior recovery back a few years.

You can’t put a price on your health, something that I learned the hard way. I stopped seeing the new doctor who unwisely suggested I stop taking Remicade. Hopefully his other patients fared better.

How My Dreams Became a Reality

Personal Dreams

Two years after we started dating, my boyfriend proposed. He took me to a nice restaurant in downtown Portland, one of our favorites. He wrote the most thoughtful, heartfelt note, which he insisted I read aloud. At the end of the message, he asked me to marry him. The last two years had been some of the best of my life and I knew he was the man I wanted to marry, so of course I said yes.

We planned to marry a year and a half later and began the process of planning our wedding shortly afterwards.

Career Dreams

School was going well, and despite working full-time, I managed to get really good grades. I loved my classes and found the material engaging and relevant for what I wanted to do with my career.

One year into my graduate school program and two years after I started working with Dow, I was laid off from my job along with the rest of my colleagues. It was a shock to all of us, but for me, it turned out to be fortunate timing. I had been considering finding work elsewhere for some months but put my job search on hold in anticipation of my upcoming wedding, as I planned to take time off work.

Suddenly out of a job, I restarted my job search and found the perfect opportunity just a few months later.

That summer was one of the busiest I’ve ever had, but for entirely good reasons. I started working for Bayer as a lab manager that July, married my husband in August, and we went on our honeymoon that September, all while I was still recovering from my recent health issues.

The new job came with a nice salary boost, and our dream of buying a house became far more realistic. That fall we put in an offer for a house that had once seemed out of reach. We moved in that January.

Travel Dreams

Ever since I was little, I dreamed of traveling the world. My new job opened up more travel opportunities than I thought possible within a career.

The business unit in which I was hired, vegetable seeds, was far more globally focused than I realized. Protocols are shared globally between the US, Netherlands and India so I had many opportunities to interact with colleagues around the world.

Since I started with Bayer, I’ve traveled to the Netherlands three times, Spain and India once and even had time to add personal travel to Dubai, Paris, Barcelona and Brussels before and after business. In addition, I’ve traveled more times than I can count within the US. On average, I traveled for work about once per month.

Where I am Today

My Personal Life

The time has flown. It has been 8 years since I received my undergraduate degree.

My husband and I have been married for nearly 3 years and we’ve been together for over 6. We are expecting our first child in August and couldn’t be more excited. We still love our first house and are looking forward to bringing baby home with us.

My Career

Today, I still work for Bayer as a lab manager. There have been a lot of changes since I started. My business unit was sold to BASF, so I will transition with the rest of the company. I don’t travel quite as much as I used to, something I think I will continually miss, although travel is likely to be more difficult with baby anyway.

My Dreams for the Future

I’ve managed to achieve many of my dreams, but not without a lot of trial and tribulation. There were several tough spots in my life and I have faced the consequences of my bad decisions. I’ve also learned that although the consequences were painful, none of them were permanently maiming.

I am and always will be grateful for all of the good in my life- my family, friends, pets, house, career, all of my experiences- even the bad ones that taught me important lessons. There is so much to appreciate, and much more than I mentioned.

So is that it, now that I’ve achieved my chronic dreams?

No. I still have big dreams for the future. One of them starts with this website, My Chronic Dreams.

I want to inspire others like you, the reader, to take control of your lives and fight for your dreams. Your dreams are worth it. They are worth the struggle, frustration, disappointment and even the pain.

It may not be easy and at times it may seem better to just give up. No one would blame you, least of all me. Believe me, I considered giving up many times. I challenge you to do better and achieve more than even you thought possible. Nothing can prevent you from achieving your dreams, not a chronic illness, a bad situation, any person or anything. You alone decide what you will do with your future.

Don’t forget about your support network- friends, family- anyone that makes a positive difference in your life. Reaching out to them is what helped me get through my tough spots. If you are so inclined, send me a message and invite me along for the ride- I’d love to be part of your journey.

Curious about what else I have in store for my future? Keep reading future posts, or send me a message. I’d love to hear from you.

Best of luck on your journey to achieve your dreams.

This article is part 4 in a 4 part series.

For part 1, see “Operation Graduation: Surviving College and Crohn’s Disease”

For part 2, “How I Started My Chronic Career: The Post-Grad Journey”

Part 3, “The Fight for My Chronic Dreams”