If you know someone with a Chronic illness, in this case Chron’s disease, this is a must read –  Five Things I Wish I’d Known Before My Chronic Illness – The New York Times

Note to employers and friends of someone with a chronic illness…

It’s hard to be a good employee when you need extended time off. It’s hard to be a good friend when you cancel plans last minute. It’s hard to be a good partner or parent when you barely have the energy to get out of bed. No matter how much you try to explain, people expect you to get better already — and when you don’t, they resent you, consciously or not. Some relationships end entirely, casualties of an unfair and misunderstood illness, while others get stronger as you find your true support system.

Also, if you feel the need to give advice…

People are compelled to offer advice about chronically ill bodies because they’re convinced a fix must exist. Here are a few of the things I’ve been told, unsolicited, to try over the years: yoga, meditation, essential oils, acupuncture, CBD oil, vaping, prayer, bone broth and [fill in the blank with the latest fad] diet. Some of these are great in conjunction with medical treatment — my doctor recommends meditation for stress relief, for example — but the advice is offered as a cure or a better alternative to whatever I’m already doing. And let’s face it, no amount of broth is going to turn off my spazzy immune system.

Do your friends a favor and don’t, not unless they ask.

Read the whole thing, then read it again. And if you grow frustrated that they cancel on you or don’t ever seem to get well, read it again.