When the Future Comes Early: Facing Terminal Illness in a Post-COVID World

We’ve all thought it. Illness is something that happens to “older people.” It’s a future problem, tucked safely away in a box labeled “deal with later.” After all, we’ve got life to live — adventures to embark on, career ladders to climb, and Netflix series to binge. But what happens when the future arrives ahead of schedule? What happens when that “later” becomes a “now”?

Welcome to the new normal in our post-COVID world, where terminal health conditions are on a meteoric rise, and we’re all left wondering: Why is this happening, and how did we get here so quickly?

Personal Experience

In my own journey, I’ve come to understand that chronic illness doesn’t send a polite RSVP before crashing into your life. I was living my best life, chasing dreams and savoring every moment when suddenly, I found myself face-to-face with not one, but four terminal illnesses. Talk about a plot twist! Overnight, I was thrust into a world of doctor’s appointments, medical jargon, and a new reality that demanded I redefine what “living fully” meant.

Navigating this unexpected path has been both challenging and enlightening. I quickly learned that humor is a formidable ally. After all, if you can’t laugh at your own misadventures with hospital gowns and MRI’s and heart caths, what can you laugh at? Embracing this new reality has meant finding strength I never knew I had and discovering a community of incredible…