It starts as soon as I wake up each morning. The feeling that I’m being stabbed, stung by 1,000 bees and burnt alive.

Spend a week or a decade in a wheelchair, chances are you’ll be asked some pretty crazy things. And I get why–people are uncomfortable around things that are different, especially wheelchairs. (Even more so if they don’t know anyone who uses a wheelchair on a personal level).

Over half of the US population has some type of documented disability. This umbrella term describes unapparent conditions like Dyslexia, as well as more obvious diagnosis’ including Dwarfism. Many who fall under the classification of “disabled” are unable to work because of their disability and the extra health issues that come with the territory. Luckily, the pharmaceutical industry is prepared with an arsenal of medications, approved by the FDA, to help manage these issues.

There may not be anyone else with the same constellation of symptoms as your child but there are people with similar challenges. Find those people. I have never met anyone with all of these same challenges as my kid but I have a strong network within each separate diagnosis. We have made wonderful friends and have found — and I hope provided — a great deal of support within each of these. I just have to pop onto one of my Facebook groups and I’m immediately reminded, I’m not alone.