Constant Questions

I don't have little children around anymore asking curious questions, "why is my hair brown and her hair blonde?" I miss those pondering thoughts. Now I have to make up my own. So I am wondering, "Why is someone who has diabetes a diabetic?"

My inquiry came from a conversation with a gentleman who referred to his wife not as having Celiac, but "she's a celiac." It was as if her disease now defined who she is. No longer his wife has this, but she is this. It struck me as wrong.

Someone with cancer doesn't call themselves a cancerite or cancerette...what would we say? Nobody wants cancer to define them, Elisabeth pointed out. Sarabeth mentioned celiac is a lifelong disease but cancer wasn't necessarily. No, cancer can snuff a life out pretty quickly, or one can become a cancer survivor.

So I posed the question, "what other diseases do we have a term that identifies you as the illness?" I had a hard time thinking of any others.

"A leper."

Elisabeth was right. Someone with leprosy is called a leper. This is a great example of a disease defining who you are and as I suspected holds a negative connotation. We brainstormed.

"Alcoholic"

"Hemophiliac" That is another for sure.

We thought of a lot of words. Down syndrome used to be defined as being Mongoloid. I'm happy that was changed. Someone with Autism is said to be Autistic. That is defining, but I see it more as an adjective rather than a noun/pronoun for someone.

We discussed why we wouldn't want to be classified by a disease. Elisabeth was certain she does not want to be called a Celiac. The silly musings continued:

"Since it is Cillyass disease, why not call yourself a sillyass."

Spoken like a true father.