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You Don’t Look Sick

Living with an Invisible Illness

Hayley Invisible Illness

Living with an invisible illness means dealing with symptoms every day – but no one can see them.

Hayley spoke to The Metro about living with two invisible illnesses: arthritis and PSC

‘This is a double-edged sword – I don’t look sick, therefore I feel like people are less likely to believe me if I tell them I need help. ‘I don’t want to have an argument or a judgemental look in public. There have been times where I’ve been sitting in a priority seat and grateful for the pain relief on a bad day, but stood up for someone who visibly needed it more – someone with a cane or crutches or a parent with young children.’

Hayley wants to see people be more aware of people living with invisible illnesses and to be more compassionate when they need help. She says: ‘Awareness is number one. Then people in public will be less likely to give a tut or make side remarks when someone uses the priority seat or a disabled parking space.’

Thank you to Hayley for raising awareness of PSC and invisible illnesses.