I wish I had that disease

I really struggle with people who seem to live in a sheltered little bubble of a world. You know the ones I mean, they have everything they need, nothing traumatic has ever happened in their little world, there is no disease or death, they don't even know what the real world is like. Maybe I'm jealous or really just annoyed! I have never even been able to be in that bubble.
I have three auto-immune diseases. That means that my body is attacking itself thinking it is doing its job but really, not so much. The first one I was diagnosed with was Graves' Disease - which is basically hyperthyroidism. After a radioactive iodine treatment, the month before I got married, I have been on replacement thyroid hormones ever since. Not so bad - take a pill 6 days a week.
I was then diagnosed with Type I diabetes - while pregnant with Robyn and Spencer. I take 2 types of insulin daily and have to prick my finger/fore arm about 4 times a day to check my blood sugar. This one is a bigger deal, but you wouldn't be able to look at me and know I am a Diabetic.
I was diagnosed with Addison's Disease about 5 1/2 years ago. This is a rare condition where my adrenal glands do not produce enough of two hormones - cortisol and aldosterone. Cortisol affects almost every organ in the body and is important for normal body function. The adrenal glands release cortisol to help the body cope with stress from illness, injury, surgery, childbirth, or other reasons. Aldosterone helps the body retain salt and maintain blood pressure (thanks webmd). Without either of these, let's just say, it can be very, very bad. So, I take a steroid, cortisone, every day, and I take a replacement for aldosterone, called flourinef that helps maintain my blood pressure.
One of the symptoms of Addison's Disease is hyperpigmentation - or a great tan. So, I now have a really great tan. I never used to tan - ever. I would burn, freckle and peel. But now I am brown as a cocoa bean - thanks Dr Wahlen.

And at last, the reason for my venting - please, please, please think before you speak. Last night at an Enrichment meeting (which is rare since I don't go, but had to bring Robyn, long story), a woman came up to say hello and mentioned that I am always so tan. My usual response is, "just diseased". And inevitably the response to follow is, "I wish I had that disease." And the only thing I could think to myself, cause it was church, after all, was, "I wish you did too." Cause let me vent here...the tan is not the advantage. I would rather still burn, freckle, and peel than have to take steriods everyday and juggle the diseases and their side effects.

So before you open your mouth, just THINK!