Friend Exodus: Why Losing Friends to Chronic Illness is So Common

for Jenn Hyla

Blog Post

I write a variety of blog pieces for clients in the wellness, spiritual, and self-development industries. My blog writing services include fully optimized blog content (SEO, keyword phrase, meta description, internal linking, and back links). All blogs are written in the true voice of the clients I serve, using the language their audience will understand and relate to.

The unexpected pain of change and loss of friends.

Before my illness, I had a tight-knit group of friends that I considered my “ride or dies.”

As my illness began to take over my life, I was scared and spiraling into desperation. I was often posting on Facebook about the terrifying illness I was experiencing as a way to express and release some of my anxiety and fear. There was a part of me that wondered if sharing my symptoms would spark someone to see it and reply with “I’ve had that, too! This is what it is, and here’s what to do!”.

That never happened, but after a year and a half of searching I finally figured out that I was suffering from late-stage Lyme disease. As I began treatment, I also began to lose lifelong friendships in a painful and surprisingly fast way. Losing friends due to chronic illness was unexpected, but happened in what seemed like rapid-fire succession. These are the kinds of things that happened to me over the course of 2 years after my diagnosis.

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