To the Warriors Living with Chronic Illness

Hey Warriors,

Let me be the first to say it,

If you woke up this morning and your body already felt like it had run a marathon, I see you.

If you’re balancing machines, meds, appointments, and still trying to show up for the people you love, I honor you.

If you’ve ever had to choose between taking a shower and making a phone call because you didn’t have the energy for both, this letter is for you.

This is for the warriors whose strength doesn’t always look like muscle and motion.

Sometimes it looks like resting when you’d rather push through.

Sometimes it sounds like the quiet hum of an LVAD syncing with your heartbeat.

Sometimes it means saying “no” to what you used to say “yes” to, not because you’re giving up, but because you’re still here. You’re choosing to live differently, not less… smarter, softer, stronger than ever.

There’s a word for those of us navigating life this way: spoonie.

It comes from a metaphor called the Spoon Theory, created by Christine Miserandino to explain what it’s like living with chronic illness.

Imagine you start each day with a set number of spoons. Every task, getting dressed, eating breakfast, walking to the car, costs you one. When you run out, you’re done. No extras. No refills. So you learn to choose carefully. Not out of fear, out of wisdom.

It might sound limiting, but there’s a quiet kind of power in it. Because when you know how precious your energy is, you protect it. You spend it with intention. You stop apologizing. And that? That makes you strong in a way the world doesn’t always understand.

You are not defined by your diagnosis.

You are not weak because you rest.

You are not lazy because you ask for help.

And you are definitely not broken.

You are built differently.

Living with an LVAD, or any chronic condition, isn’t the end of your story. It’s a rewrite. A new chapter with more courage, more depth, more clarity about what really matters. It’s waking up and deciding, over and over, to find joy in the middle of the hard. To hold space for grief and gratitude in the same breath.

We don’t always get to control our bodies. But we do get to choose how we live inside them. And that’s what Little VADventures is all about, showing up for this life with hope, humor, honesty, and heart.

So to my fellow warriors,

Keep going on the days that feel light.

Rest deeply on the days that feel heavy.

And never, ever forget: you are not alone.

Whether you live with a pump in your chest, scars on your skin, or invisible battles the world can’t see, you are still worthy of joy. Of laughter. Of peace. Of love.

You are living proof that resilience doesn’t always roar.

Sometimes, it hums softly beside your heart,

and still, it pulses with life.

“You are living proof that resilience doesn’t always roar. Sometimes, it hums softly beside your heart… and still, it pulses with life.”

With Heart,

💙 Phoenix