You Don't Look Sick!

By Madeline Kroner

Volume 21 Narrative Author
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Madeline Kroner

Madeline Kroner, from Syracuse, New York, is pursuing a Mechanical Engineering degree with a potential minor in Science, Technology, and Values or Engineering Corporate Practice. At 16, she was diagnosed with an incurable chronic illness. While handling all the physical and emotional pain that comes with such a diagnosis, she noticed a shift in how she was perceived by her peers and community. In particular, a double standard in her treatment by greater society due to the invisible nature of her condition and general stigma began to surface. She realized that the thing most detrimental to her future was not her pain or symptoms, but the ingrained ableism in our nation and beyond. In her slam poetry-style video, Madeline prompts the audience to ask themselves what “sick” really looks like. Can such a thing take a physical form or have physical attributes at all? Moreover, does this visual representation accurately display an individual's true character or potential?