Elements For A Healthier Life Magazine Issue 03 | July 2016 | Page 19

felt she had no purpose and no reason to exist. In her mind, she was a failure.

In the darkness of nightfall, crying and consumed with felt she had no purpose and no reason to exist. In her mind, she was a failure.

In the darkness of nightfall, crying and consumed with

despair from years of being debilitated, she heard a feminine voice say, “You're loveable as you are. You are kind. You are compassionate. You're giving. That's what you're here to do. Go out and spread that message.”

A sensation of calm and peace that she hadn't felt in years encompassed her. Looking back, she knows it was a pivotal moment. She once again felt that she had a purpose: to share kindness.

“I started to think about someone other than myself.”

Tae made a conscious effort to brighten the mood of at least one person each day. She expressed a genuine interest in the individuals she came into contact with, knowing that people want to feel acknowledged and that they matter to someone. She started practicing simple interactions - like asking the stranger in the grocery store aisle, the pharmacist, cashiers, the receptionist at the doctor's office, “How is your day going?” She began to connect with the world outside of her pain, and in so doing, ‘relieved’ some of it.

“My mission is to show others who are suffering with chronic illness that they can live a meaningful, purposeful life.”

Prior to Tae's diagnosis, she was in the process of changing careers and attaining a certification in Gerontology.

Once her symptoms began to affect her daily routine, it became increasingly difficult to continue as a volunteer at the animal adoption center and assisting the elderly. Tae was no longer physically able to actively participate in the