What is a Rock Star? Most people would probably answer with a celebrity or artist like Leonardo DiCaprio or Kendrick Lamar, but the title Rock Star isn’t reserved for the rich and famous because there are Rock Stars around us fighting for just one more day with only the hope for a better tomorrow. These Rock Stars are called Spoonies.
Now, you might be wondering what exactly a Spoonie is because most people have never heard the term. Spoonie is a term that comes from Christine Miserandino’s Spoon Theory that she developed to help describe the difference in energy levels of those with chronic illness compared to someone who is otherwise healthy. Essentially, a healthy person has 24 spoons to get through the day, and the things you do throughout the day equate to spoons. 1 spoon to go get coffee, 1 spoon to go to the store, and so on except for Spoonies, or those with chronic illness, we may only have 12 spoons to get through the day and something as small as showering can take 3 or 4 spoons.
When you are dealing with chronic illness everything can feel hard and insurmountable because every day can feel like something new that’s wrong, and one of the hardest things to deal with is that it feels like no one understands what you are going through. Chronic illness can be isolating, depressing, and lonely. It’s not easy to hurt all the time and feel like your body has turned against you. Every day is a constant struggle to survive for Spoonies and because of the courage and strength it takes to endure and live in that never-ending struggle that is exactly what makes you a Spoonie and a Rock Star.
If you find yourself in a position in which you must endure day after day, please know that there is hope for a better tomorrow and you must never give up because you have the power to change the world. Many have been placed in a situation in which survival is your only option and that gives you immeasurable strength and wisdom, and you are exactly who you need to be and where you need to be to change the world. You can be someone with a devastating chronic illness and still make a difference because what you go through makes you worthy of having your name lit up in lights like the Rock Star you are. The world needs what Spoonies have to offer and the world is waiting for you. Don’t give up, don’t ever give up.
