We’re not the same as we used to be.

Those of us living with a disease have the fantasy that the medical community can wave its magic wand, and we’ll be back to where we were or even better.

I’m afraid our bodies don’t work that way. Every day, millions of cells die. We get older. A fraction of them get replaced by new cells, for which we are grateful.

Medicine can do amazing things. It can target diseased cells to keep them from multiplying quickly. It can encourage healthy cell replacement. But it cannot take away the inevitable deterioration of our bodies.

Sometimes, when we are treating our disease, we forget that time has passed. We remember ourselves as active, vital human beings, conquering mountains, literally or figuratively. Those memories inspire us to want to get back to good health.

But they can also disappoint us when we aren’t the way we used to be. We forget that months, maybe years, have passed. We may have spent some of that time inactive, losing muscle mass that is difficult to regain. No matter how many PT appointments we go to, realistically, we will not get back to where we were before it all began.

So, do we shrug our shoulders and give up?

No! Instead, we can work all the harder. The goal is not to be where we used to be but to be the best we can be at this stage of life. We’re not trying to get back to normal but to create a “new normal.”

My new normal is more balanced and active than my old one. I eat much better, have lost weight, and do strength exercises 2-3 times a week. I’ll never be as strong as I once was. But my goal is to be as strong as I can be.

So don’t be discouraged when things don’t return to how life used to be. Look at it as a challenge to find something new, something that fits all you have been through. It’ll put a lightness in your step and gratitude in your heart.