TO MY FEARLESS FRIEND

This morning I have a story to tell. One that angers me tremendously. I have been speaking and promoting honesty on Addison's page to try and break the chain of embarrassment and SHAME that is attached to the already horrible disease.
Yesterday, a friend of mine that I met on this page took a VERY brave step. This person had suffered from pill addiction for years, but has been clean for almost 5 years and is doing very well now, which I am SO happy about. But the fear and shame about being honest about the past kept this person out of doctors and dental offices and really any medical care facility. But yesterday, they decided they really did need a family physician and went for their first appointment. With great COURAGE this person decided to tell the doctor about their past. Everything. This took GUTS and I am very proud of this step this person took, and I am sure it was very scary.
What I HATE is that after overcoming this fear and shame and telling the doctor about this history, he looked at this person (not in the eye of course) and his demeanor totally changed. He was hostile, accusatory, and treated my friend like a dog. Mind you, the person wasn't asking for medication, but just telling the truth. I don't even think the doctor believed that my friend has been clean for the last 4 and half years.
I got a message about what had happened; my friend was hurt, ANGRY, upset for being treated like a "sub-human" and they went back about 3 minutes after leaving the parking lot and made sure that the office KNEW they would NEVER return to that office.
I felt horrible and extremely proud all at the same time. I HATED that my friend had this experience after taking such a bold and brave move. I hated knowing that the main reason this person decided to be so brave was because I myself have been screaming that for months, and then THAT is what happened. I hope that this will not deter them from being that brave in the future. Everyone here has been so supportive of me when things didn't turn out legislatively the way I wanted them to, and I got so many posts and messages of DON'T QUIT!!!! It was very helpful and encouraging to me to hear this from all of you.
This person needs that today, and probably many others do to. I didn't want to share this to scare others from being honest about their own past, or current situation with a loved one, but just to show you ONE of the reason's people become so ashamed of this disease. I'm not sure how to stop it, unless I can convince everyone to take on my philosophy of "just tell it like it is, and don't give a DAMN what anyone else thinks" and if they don't like what they hear, then they can "bleep ba bleep bleep bleep!!!" But that's just me, and I'm not sure if I can get everyone on board with that one! lol

I just want to recognize this person for BRAVERY, HONESTY, and COURAGE, and hope that you all will do the same. Because of having small children this person wishes to remain anonymous so when you post on here to encourage them just address them as FEARLESS FRIEND - they WILL read it, I promise.

And to everyone else: Please follow this person's lead. You may get a compassionate, understanding set of ears, or you may get the crap my friend got. But either way, like my friend felt yesterday after all was said and done - they vowed to NEVER allow someone to shame them like that again, and will continue to be honest about it in the future. Like you ALL have told me, it may not work out the way you want it the first or even second time, but DON'T QUIT.

Wow I'm in a mood today- my Cymbalta must really be kicking in!! :)

Much Love ♥
Jessica