Illness can happen to anyone, yes, even kids and teens. In my research, 1/2-2/3 of chronically ill or disabled Americans are children and most of these children will continue to battle illness long after they graduate from high school.

These kids in my poster, juggle all the regular kid stuff alongside frequent hospital visits, managing medicines, injections, infusions, side effects, self-esteem issues, and more. Their stories are epic.

A lifelong illness without a cure is difficult for many able-bodied people to imagine. How can that be? Isn’t there any medicine? Surgery? A diet change? How can they possibly function? The Orphan Drug Act of 1983 created a financial incentive for manufacturers to develop new medicines for rare diseases. But still, many rare diseases do not have,e cures or even treatments. On top of that, there aren’t enough specialized physicians to treat or manage their symptoms… these children still march forward.

Sometimes, just the thought of kids like these is too sad for many people to think or talk about. It can be difficult for others to provide support for kids and teens who don’t look sick, yet they desperately need empathy from adults and their peers. Today, in 2022 these vulnerable children face yet another barrier - COVID, making it even more challenging for these kids and teens to live with equal opportunities as their peers.

Teachers and librarians, I’m providing a free high-resolution file available for download to print and hang. Let your disabled students be seen and show your healthy students that “sick” may not look how they think it does.