Even though I fight Gastroparesis, I am feeling pretty lucky this Saint Patrick’s Day.  There are so many people that I would have never met otherwise.  The Gastroparesis is a truly amazing community.  We band together from all walks of life, backgrounds, beliefs, political views, geographic locations, life goals, financial means, and you name it.  I have said on several occasions that nothing bands people together like fighting Gastroparesis!  There are several members from the GP community that I can’t imagine never knowing.  They inspire me, help keep me going, and continue to remind me that I need to keep writing.

Through Gastroparesis, I have also realized just how truly amazing the majority of my friends are.  They help think through alternative treatment plans, they offer to help me with my advocacy work, and they volunteer to do anything they can to help.  I can also tell that several of my friends of spent a fair deal of time learning about Gastroparesis.

Tonight, a handful of friends are coming over for Gastroparesis dinner and game night.  Instead of kegs and eggs, it will be games and easy to digest food.  (Doesn’t rhyme, but is just as fun!)  I’ll admit, when we first scheduled the game night we did not realize that it was on Saint Patrick’s Day weekend.  However, once we realized it, we decided to make it a mini-Saint Pat’s party.

One of my friends asked for a list of what I could/couldn’t eat so that she could bring something that I could enjoy.  It really meant a lot to me.  At first, I thought about sending my usual note “Thank you, but the list is so crazy that I will be okay.  Bring something that you would enjoy.”  However, this time a light bulb went off.  My friend was willing to come up with a crazy dish to try to make it GP friendly and that it would be rude to not take her up on it.  So I sent my list which may have put her over her text limit for the month!  Her & her husband researched dishes that would be fitting for both Saint Patrick’s Day and it sounds like they have come up with something!  Anyone reading this who has Gastroparesis will realize what a truly amazing accomplishment this is and how much time it probably took them.

To some, it may seem like a small act:  bringing a special dish.  However, to someone with Gastroparesis it is the equivalent of them climbing Mount Everest for you.  It makes you realize that you actually do have the Luck of the Irish because you are lucky enough to have some pretty amazing friends both in and out of the GP community!

~Millie

What is everyone else doing to balance Gastroparesis & Saint Patrick’s Day?