I was touched to see this article come out, and to receive the email that my words were included. I'm now almost three years out from my ICU stay. I go through different phases of how I try and work through the symptoms. Sometimes I need to withdraw from spaces like this because it's too painful to engage, and other times, I feel up for sharing and connecting with others. Anniversaries are tough for me, particularly the ones around my ICU stay. The whole experience has been on my mind more frequently as January approaches. I'm doing a lot of thinking about holding space for my grief this year, and for all the ways in which my life changed as a result of my illness. I have found healing in watching my body regain some strength (I'm still amazed at my ability to walk down the street), and in gaining some distance from that time in my life. However, there are harder days, and I really feel that a lot of the people around me expect me to be "over this" by now, so I tend to speak about it less than I did initially. I confide in my closest friend, who I am overwhelmed with gratitude for. And I thought I would reach out here too, and maybe try to be a bit more active. I'm sending support to all of you, and grateful to have this space to return to after all this time.

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