A place I can go where I’m not ill

by Rachael-Sarah (Sez)


Blogs don’t necessarily have to be about things that are above and beyond the things we do in our lives. They can simply be about how we survive day-to-day with our crazy symptoms. There are many ways to do this and each of us have our own personal survival tools.

For me, gaming is an escapism of sorts. It’s a place that I can go to where I am not ill, where my symptoms don’t affect my “life” and my disorders/conditions are irrelevant. All that matters is enjoyment and socialising. The latter is something that a lot of us struggle with as illnesses can isolate us. It can be a lonely existence to be ill.

Minecraft, for me, is an interactive game where I can socialise with people and work with them without judgement. It doesn’t matter if I’m in pain or even that I suffer from arthritis. What matters is I have a community of understanding friends from all around the world; friends whose only concern is to have fun with me.

So, this is basically a massive thank you and shout out to an amazing friend of mine, who has gone above and beyond. I know this person as her Minecraft tag ‘dannapants’. Now, she has not only accepted me into her server, but into her life as an online friend.

She always asks how I am, tries to give as much advice as possible and tries to make me feel better even though she suffers from bad fibromyalgia and other things herself. She is always happy and positive even when she’s having a bad day. We all matter to her and she does not care what is wrong with us. She also doesn’t care how annoying we can get, all she wants is to take care of us all and make sure we feel loved.

She has done so much more for me than I could ever put into words. There are not enough thank yous or presents I could give her to show her what she means to me. No matter what time it is, no matter how busy she is, if you are struggling and having a bad day, she will drop everything just to talk to you, to make sure you’re okay and to give you as much advice as she can.

I met her through a popular Minecrafter’s server, and she started talking to me when she realised I also struggled with chronic illness. Through this, she created a support group with me and invited me to play on her own server, which she pays for and from which she expects nothing but enjoyment in return.

There are no words, not enough positivity in the English Language, to even touch the tip of the iceberg. She is the most amazing, supportive person I have ever had the pleasure to come across. It was sheer luck that brought her into my life, and she will stay with me forever. Her friendship and loyalty to everyone is the most beautiful display of human compassion I will ever see.

Thank you, dannapants, you are the reason I get up every day and the reason I fight.

Much Love – Sez xx

Meet Sez and other friendly folk on Arthur’s Place Social, our Facebook Group

(Any opinions expressed in Sez’s blog are not necessarily shared by Arthur’s Place. Nothing that you read in Sez’s blog constitutes medical advice.)