My Life With Stickler Syndrome - Part 3: The Stranger I've Always Known

Stickler Syndrome was a stranger for so long

Someone I knew but could not name

Lurking in the shadows

And floating in my vision

It was there all along

In my long, graceful fingers

And my eyes that don’t work great

In my joints that are more bendy than most

And my face with features flat and small

It was there with me during every surgery

Each visit to the eye doctor

It was there with me when I wore an eye patch

And couldn’t go out for recess

It was there when I couldn’t play sports

And when I could only sit to cheer

It was there with me when I graduated college

And when I traveled with friends

It was there with me when I fell in love

Got married

Had babies

It was there with me when I laughed

Cried

Loved

It was there with me on every adventure

And every night in

It’s with me every time I have compassion for a friend or stranger

And teach my kids to do the same

It’s been with me for every goal I’ve set

And every success I’ve achieved

Stickler Syndrome has made me an outsider

And helped me find community

No longer a stranger in the shadows

But a piece of me that shines bright