Page 3: Quiet Strength: What Surviving Pain Really Looks Like

By: Brandon Matthew Deen, Sr.

Strength isn't always loud or heroic. Sometimes it's just getting out of bed when every nerve in your body tells you not to. Sometimes it's showing up to work with a stiff back, a pounding head, or joints that won't stop screaming. Sometimes it's holding a conversation while pain pulses behind your eyes or across your spine. If you live with chronic pain, you know this already. That is what strength looks like.

There are no medals for managing pain. No applause for choosing rest. No headlines when we say "no" to protect our bodies. But those moments matter. The strength it takes to live with pain, day in and day out, often goes unnoticed. That's why telling these stories matters because we deserve to be understood, not overlooked.

To those who live pain-free: I don't need you to feel bad. I don't need pity. I need awareness. I need you to know that not every struggle is visible. And when someone tells you about pain, believe them the first time. Your willingness to listen without judgment might be the one thing that makes this burden feel a little lighter.

To those living this with me: You're not alone. Whether you speak openly about your pain or keep it to yourself, you're doing more than most people will ever understand. I see the ones out there still getting up every day, even when everything hurts. You keep going, not because it's easy, but because life doesn't stop. That's not a weakness, that's real strength, even if no one says it out loud.

If you see me smiling, don't read too much into it. It doesn't mean the pain isn't there. It's just me getting through the moment. Most days, I hurt somewhere, somehow. But I've learned how to function with it. I still show up when I can. I laugh when something's funny. I try to be present, even if my body's screaming. The pain hasn't left, but neither have I.