(well no one, but it’d really suck otherwise)
Alex Russo taught us we could ignore it until it went away. But chronic illness doesn’t work like that… continue reading to take a peak into my mind’s ramblings while watching the Hannah Montana 20th anniversary special, only on Hulu <3
I didn’t just watch Hannah Montana on Disney Channel.
I lived it.
I breathed it. I loved it. I dreamt it.
That era of Disney Channel had every millennial I knew in a chokehold.
I was the kid who adored everything that Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, and Demi Lovato were a part of. The Jonas Brothers? Sign me up. I was there. A crossover TV special? Prepped 20 minutes early, waiting for it to air.
Hannah Montana is out cleaning the beach? Great- I wanna go clean the beach!
Brenda Song like to cook with vegetables from her garden? Find me outside trying to grow a tomato.
Hilary Duff is exploring her music career? You could find me in my bedroom, singing into the mirror for hours.
Their worlds felt stitched into mine- like we were all growing up together, just on different stages.
They felt like my peers. My mutuals.
And in my mind, the future was already written.
I was going to be exactly like Hannah.
A superstar by night.
A role model by day.
Who said, who said I can’t be worldwide? I say, I say time is on my side.
Nothing could come between me and the world of possibilities ahead of me.
That kind of dreaming doesn’t leave room for chronic illness.
It doesn’t leave room for interruption.
But who dreams with invisible illness in mind?
Even back then, there were moments that cracked the illusion.
I remember when Nick Jonas was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Disney Channel did a whole special on it- and it rocked me.
It felt jarring. Like something from the real world had slipped into the safe, curated world I had built- the one I watched on screen.
It was the first time I realized that even the people who seemed untouchable were still living in bodies that could change overnight.
And then real life echoed it.
The cancer that took my best friend’s mom…
The COPD that took my grandmother far too young…
The heart attack that took my schoolmate…
Suddenly, serious illness didn’t feel far away.
It felt possible.
And I remember thinking- if it can happen to them… could it happen to me, too? No.. right?!
That question stayed.
& later, life answered it. Answered it with a vengeance.
Long after Wizards of Waverly Place ended… long after Alex Russo stopped casting spells… Selena Gomez faced something no magic could fix.
Lupus.
An autoimmune disease that would reshape her body, her life, and her future.
The kind of diagnosis that doesn’t resolve in a show’s 22 minutes.
The kind that stays.
And while chronic illness isn’t the end of the world- it does change a person’s whole world.
And I can’t stop thinking about the irony.
Because Alex Russo once said:
“Look, I’ll handle it like I handle all of life’s problems. Ignore it until it goes away.”
And for a long time… I think a lot of us believed that.
That things would pass.
That our bodies would cooperate.
That life would follow the storyline we imagined.
But chronic illness doesn’t work like that.
It doesn’t go away because you ignore it.
It doesn’t resolve neatly.
It doesn’t ask permission before it rewrites your life.
And yet…
Watching the Hannah Montana 20th anniversary special… (or Hannah-versary, as Miley says she prefers to call it)… seeing Selena and Miley sit across from one another reflecting on everything they built… the culture they created…
I didn’t just see what was.
I saw what came after.
After Nick’s diagnosis.
After Demi’s rehab…
After life continued on.
After Nick’s marriage, Joe’s divorce, Kevin having children…
After healing that didn’t look the way we expected- and taking longer than we imagined.
After learning how to keep showing up anyway.
After committing to staying, even if just for one more day… every day.
Because the world doesn’t stop. Life continues on. The earth keeps spinning.
What I didn’t understand as a kid watching my favorite people on Disney Channel:
We weren’t just watching stories about becoming.
We were watching people who, like us, would one day have to endure.
And somehow… so did we…
We got the best of both worlds… we were given the opportunity to see the future full of possibilities and now get to reframe it to fit our new realities.
You know, I really believed we were all growing up together.
And in a way, we were.
Not toward the same dreams, goals, aspirations… but toward the same realization:
That life doesn’t always turn out the way you planned.
But that doesn’t mean it ends.
Sometimes, it’s just the beginning of truly living.
I always say it.. and I’ll never, ever stop:
Life doesn’t end at diagnosis; for so many of us it’s truly the point at which life is just beginning.
There is something powerful about the version of us that exists now.
The version that learned how to navigate doctor’s offices and uncertainty…
The version that had to find the courage to say hard things about our health out loud.. to share with unexpectant family members.
The version that kept going- through symptoms, fear, treatment, and change.
The version that had to redefine strength…
and found it anyway.
We may not have become superstars by night.
But we found our way.. we became steady.
resilient…
strong…
We became the warriors that know how to keep showing up… even when life looks nothing like it was supposed to.
And maybe that’s its own kind of magic…
Not the kind Alex Russo had.
But something quieter.
Stronger.
More real.
Alex Russo told us we could .. just ignore it until it went away.
But chronic illness doesn’t work like that.
life is what you make it… so let’s make it rock.
So maybe this is the part of the story where we realize:
We were never meant to follow the script.
We were meant to outgrow it- and make it our own.
And we did.
But if you haven’t quite found your footing yet… if you’re in a part of life that doesn’t quite make sense right now…
whether in your health, your career, your relationships…
Just remember…
Life is what you make it. (Miley Cyrus)
•
I’m sure you got some things you’d like to change about yourself…But when it comes to me, I wouldn’t want to be anybody else. (Selena Gomez)
•
We were meant to outgrow the script…
Come into our own story, our own strength.
And you know what?
That’s kind of magical. ✨
Hi friends! My name is Lauren. Thank you for being here and for making it this far. If you like what I’m doing here and want to support me/the blog – feel welcome to follow along on Instagram or TikTok– where we’re now 9k strong and continuing to grow! You can also Buy Me a Cup of Coffee (isn’t that cool? I’m learning something new everyday!). Click around for some of the best resources I’ve found for food allergies, clinical trials, and drug info. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m also accepting patient stories, if anyone’s interested in sharing their rare disease experience or looking for a place to share their diagnostic odyssey or promote your blog/business – reach out to me, I’d love to elevate other rare voices. I’m so happy you’re here and happy you’re alive for another day. <3 XoXo, Lauren
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