Blessings Disguised

Haven't we all had moments in our lives that we thought were completely unfair, only to realize later in life that those experiences were blessings in disguise?

To be diagnosed with a severe form of Ulcerative Colitis at age 14 - grade 9 - that is tough. Not knowing whether or not I could finish high school on time or ever go through post-secondary education was terrifying. Having a major organ removed by open abdominal surgery, just before senior year, and to live with an ileostomy at school - yeah that was pretty harsh.
BUT - being diagnosed while still in the Children's Medical System and to be cared for at the Alberta Children's Hospital is that blessing. Being diagnosed at that age meant that the diagnosis came swiftly and I received the best possible care.

Having some issues dating and having to wait to find my 'person' until my late twenties was never something I hoped for. It felt like I waited a long time and had to do a lot of dating to try and find him.
BUT - it means that I was able to live alone and be independent for many years. It means that I got life experience on my own and really found out who I am. It helped me appreciate what it means to be in a good relationship rather than in a toxic one where both people involved are bad for each other. It allowed me to learn more about myself, about the world, and to enjoy depending on someone rather than feel like it is a necessity.

Being diagnosed with several other diseases during my University years was hard. It felt like it just kept piling up year after year with new illnesses that I had never previously heard of.
BUT - being diagnosed before going into the world and trying to pin down a career path wound up being a good thing. It showed me the importance of finding employment that had medical coverage and medical programs, just in case. That 'just in case' came true, and made me appreciate what that coverage and those programs meant for me.

Being sick enough to deter me from living abroad for a short time was a blow. I was hoping to do much more travel and I would have loved to live in France or Italy or even on the east side of Canada for that matter... my health prevented me from moving farther away.
BUT - I found out later that the best programs for disabilities happened to be in Alberta. Not only that, but I also continue to deteriorate, and there have been several instances in the past few years when I have required significant help from my family. If I had moved elsewhere, I would have more than likely had to move back this way anyways. I may have even had to move back in with my parents. But since I stayed here, even if it seemed like a disappointing scenario, I was able to maintain my independence while also being near enough to my family to call on them for help.

The friends I have made, the people I have met, my significant other, my close proximity to family, my close proximity to some of the leading specialists in their field, the mountains and lakes and landscape of this area, the medical coverage, the beneficial programs, and all of the opportunities I have had, have all resulted (in some shape or form) from the negative stress and negative situations I have endured.

One of my favourite quotes (from World War Z) is that:

"Sometimes the thing you thought was the most brutal aspect of the virus, turns out to be the chink in its armor. And [Mother Nature] loves disguising her weaknesses as strengths."

Sometimes the strongest parts of what we are dealing with seem brutal and unfair at the time, but they can turn out to be exactly what needed to occur in order to receive the best care.
These blessings in disguise are still painful, they can still feel unfair, they can still seem unprecedented and without any reason at all, but eventually it all makes sense. At least I continue to hope so.