Having vs. Being

Dear Patient,

I remember one of the first times I treated a patient with HIV.

I was reviewing his intake form and said something like, “I see you’re HIV-positive.”

“I don’t think of it that way," he said. "HIV is something that I have, but I don’t label myself with it.” HIV didn't define who he was.

This has stayed with me for many years: a simple reframing of having vs. being. Having a illness vs. being an ill person.

An illness may place constraints on your life but it is not the only noteworthy or interesting thing about you. Illness is not your sole characteristic. You are not HIV. You are not cancer. You are not diabetes, depression, ulcerative colitis or long COVID.

What you have is not who you are. Illness may be a part of your life but it is not the totality of you. You are so much more than a diagnosis.

Love and gratitude,

Your Acupuncturist