Letting Go

Guilt – a feeling of responsibility or remorse for some offense, crime, wrong, etc. Whether real or imagined. (Dictionary.com)

So often those of us living with a progressive disorder like Kennedy’s Disease experience some form of guilt. It can often be held internally (festering) or expressed in some way such as depression, remorse, frustration, etc. These feelings are often caused by:
 

• Concern for the family’s future financial security should you not be able to work.
• Fear that you passed the defective gene on to your daughter or possibly your daughter’s children.
• Frustration because you might not be able to perform the needed household or yard chores and repairs. And, these responsibilities will fall upon your spouse and children.
• Guilt for all the stress and concern you have and will cause your family.

At some point you need to address these feelings and hopefully come to terms with the fact that:

• Since the disorder is genetic, you did not cause or could have prevented the defective gene from changing your DNA.
• Since there is no treatment or cure, you could have not done anything to change your current condition.
• When you married or had children you did not know you had the defective gene.
• You have no idea how quickly the disease will progress and how it will progress.

And, once you believe that you had no control, nor do you have any control over this defect in your DNA, it is easier to let the negative feelings go.