Healing Is Not a Requirement

Why a full life with chronic illness is still possible, even when cure, remission, or clear answers remain out of reach

---

When you live with chronic illness, it is easy to absorb the message that life will begin again once you heal. But for many of us, healing is uncertain, complicated, or out of reach. That does not mean a full life is out of reach too.

The Question Beneath the Question

When I tell people that I am a chronic illness coach, I often get asked if I have been able to heal myself from my own chronic illness. I understand why they ask. Because if I am supporting others on their journeys with illness, then I must have mastered my own illness, right?

But when someone asks this question, they are revealing something to me: they really do not understand what a chronic illness is and what the experience is like.

A chronic illness, by definition, is incurable. There are ways to mitigate symptoms and ways to even put an illness into remission, but the illness will never be completely gone. While it is not inherently terminal, it will be with you in some way for the rest of your life. It is a companion you must learn to both accept and fight against.

The Complexity of Healing

I am not saying that healing is impossible. There are many stories out there of people who claim to be healed through nutrition, supplementation, and various alternative therapies. Conventional treatments have also been incredibly successful for some people. I do not have the expertise to determine the validity of these stories, but they do provide hope.

What I think a lot of people do not understand is that for most people with chronic illness, healing, or remission, is an extremely complicated process. There is no one-size-fits-all approach. And if you are like me, you will take one step forward and three steps back.

In 2024, I decided to try improving my gut health with the intention of improving my immune function and, ideally, reducing the progression and activity of my disease. What followed were expensive tests and supplements, stressful months of adjusting my nutrition, intense unexplained abdominal pain, three months of medical leave, and having my gallbladder removed.

I am not blaming anyone for what happened. Bodies sometimes just do not make sense. I am sharing this as an example of how we can do all the “right things” and still not experience improvement.

Thriving in the Midst of Illness

Based on my personal experience with illness, and from the experience of others I know, I decided to have my coaching focus not on healing but on thriving in the midst of illness.

This does not mean that healing is not something to work toward. It means that it is not obligatory for living a full life. It means that while we are navigating our illness and working on optimizing our health, we can still find meaning, purpose, and joy.

For example, even if you cannot leave the house often to see your friends, maybe you connect on a video call once a week. If you cannot go on hikes anymore, maybe you go on slow walks in your neighborhood or sit outside taking deep breaths of fresh air. If you cannot work anymore, maybe there is a volunteer opportunity you can do from home on your own schedule.

We have to remember that our body’s limitations do not have to shrink our lives. With gentle determination and creativity, we may find that our spirit is far more expansive than our circumstances.

Small Steps Still Matter

After my disappointing experience in 2024, I have not taken any drastic measures to explore healing or remission. I am sure I will someday, but for now, I am focused on small, consistent steps to optimize my health:

• Well-rounded nutrition

• Hydration with electrolytes

• Basic supplementation

• Regular movement and light strength training

• Adequate rest and sleep

• Stress management

• Time outside every day

• Regular social and community connection

• Taking my medication

• Going to my doctor’s appointments

• Staying on top of my lab tests

It does not need to be drastic to be powerful.

If you have a chronic illness, please remember that healing is not a requirement for living a wonderful life. Go at your own pace. It is the right one.