I hate that people with chronic illness get written up like pathetic losers while people who choose to do stuff like this as a hobby are lauded for it.
Wimps, every last one of them.
I wonder if "cancer survivor" is simply a spin that's been put on a situation that invokes applause, or if others just respond favorably (emotionally?) to people who have gotten through a difficult time.
Not sure if "$illness survivor" works or not.
If not, then people really focus on "battling", "fighting", "surviving", "winning", etc.
I have an "incurable" dread disease and am getting well when the world says it cannot be done. So, the spin that gets is "hypochondriac," "crazy person," "liar," "teller of tall tales," etc.
It's been a long, hard marathon and the social piece has been shittier to deal with than the physical suffering. So this is definitely a sore point for me personally and it annoys me the number of folks downvoting my comments here to counteract any upvotes. It is just one more fuck you in a long line of them. I can't even take any credit for what I have done, not even in terms of what I have suffered.
So, I still think this contest is wimpy compared to what I have endured. :-)