On Sickness in Health

Here's something healthy people don't understand:
You do not know.
Even sick people,
You do not know.
People with the same illness,
You do not know.

You do not know another person's pain.
You do not know what it is to walk in their shoes, to face their struggle to get out of bed in the morning, or the pain they have faced when they go to bed each night.

Do not judge. Do not belittle. You do not get to decide the validity of their sickness, which they've either been kind enough or forced to shared with you.
You do not understand.
Don't pretend to know their body better than they do.

What you get to do is support.
Ask what they need and how you can help. Join them in celebrating the victories that will seem small to you but are huge for them.  Remind them they are loved.
That is all you get to do.

And anyone who defies this, who thinks they understand humanity more than the humans themselves, are bigoted, selfish, ignorant and unworthy of love from those who have faced more than they could withstand in a day.
Remember this.
Teach yourself empathy.