Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Fighting Chance blog 12

Be CAREful what you wish for

Hi Readers,


I’m writing this in response to an article that I read on the website 6 years ago called “Chloe Jennings-White reveals she wants surgery so she can be permanently disabled”.

When I first read this, it was mind-boggling and it made my head spin for so many different reasons.

On the one side, you could say; What on earth is this woman thinking?! Shouldn’t she be counting her life’s blessings and appreciating it all?!  It wouldn’t cross the minds of most people to “fantasise” about disability; let alone strive towards having one.


Yet, this particular condition does in fact exist and is known as BIID (Body Integrity Identity Disorder). This psychological condition entails sufferers actively seeking elective body limb amputation in order to mirror their perceived “bodily whole” – the feeling could be likened to an individual born with six toes who firmly believes they should have five.

We all have our own “self-comparison” issues that we sometimes struggle with to the point they sometimes almost plague us but it is when we let them run our lives that they sometimes may turn into “addictive behaviours” and it is for this reason that I believe people with Chloe’s condition need thorough psychiatric oversight. If they were to literally go ahead with this, then they would need to be fully prepared…and I mean fully prepared for what’s in store for them. Generally, there are two known facts of life; the cycle of life and death, and the ‘unpredictable’ nature of life. As life is unpredictable humans have an innate sense of sympathy for those whom become victims of circumstance, but in this instance chance is being taken out of the equation which may lead people to see this as a selfish act and/or cry for attention especially because they don’t seem to take into account the impact that it will have on their lives and/or the lives of those around them.

With all that being said, where should we draw the line between the experimentation of an “outsider looking in” and actively working towards having a disability, especially considering the financial and emotional burden for all those involved?

I conclusively believe and feel that having my disability and living with it has helped me to appreciate and further understand that there is power in the knowledge that I am not invincible and neither is anybody else. I fully and wholeheartedly respect this without complaining about it or judging it, and although I, myself still sometimes have issues regarding self-comparison, I’ve gradually now reached a point where I’m able to consciously “choose” what role I wish for them to play throughout my own life.

I would appreciate your feedback on whether or not you’ve heard of anyone else with this condition.


You’re welcome to read the actual story on the link below and formulate your own opinions on it: https://pop.inquirer.net/46307/disabled-on-purpose-transabled-chloe-jennings-white .

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