9-30-97 20 years old. Departed best describes the girl I dated for over a year. The relationship never manifested into the one
we envisioned and the decision to separate was reached. It is always difficult to go separate ways whenever you invest a long time with someone, especially if the relationship is a heartfelt one. I have a muscle problem, she knew it and yet she continued to stay with me. She knew the prognosis of Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy, there is no cure and you will end up in a wheelchair. She
continued to be with me though. She was able to look past my label and limitations and go directly to who I was as a person. She loved me for me and not just the physical me. In a way, I felt I owed it to her to be the best boyfriend I could be. I didn’t want to lose her because I wasn’t sure if I could find these qualities in another girl. A life with no one to love is one that scared me. And I guess that is why I overlooked some of the heartaches we experienced. Being involved with her took my focus off the label and allowed me to escape myself, even if it was only for a brief moment in time. Nothing else mattered to me other than being with her. The relationship was sort of a safe haven I could retreat to whenever the pressures of my disease tried to bring me down. You see, I have this massive label called Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy hanging over my head and it scares me. It scares me because my physical future is uncertain. Future women might not be so willing to overlook the label and limitations Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy brings to the table, like she was able to and I don’t want to be alone. I am reminded of the phrase from Dr. Dyer in times of hardship, “In your life, people will show up for brief moments and some will stay longer. In either case, that was all the time they were supposed to be there.”
