How Hunter Hayes Showed Me I Am Not "Invisible"

Music seems to speak to me in such a powerful way. It is something that I can turn to whenever I want to block out the rest of the world during a time when I am stressed, upset, or just need a moment to relax. One of my favorite artists that I have become drawn to over the years is Hunter Hayes. It all first started with his first album that drew in attention to the world. I remember hearing the song "Wanted" for the first time in the car and I absolutely fell in love. However, I didn't become a true fan until 2013, prior to his album "Storyline" being released.

A specific song spoke out to me called "Invisible.” Ever since I first heard the song I can’t seem to get the lyrics out of my head. This song showed me exactly why I fell in love with Hunter Hayes. “Invisible” was written to show people they are not alone in trying to overcome anything whether it is following their dream, bullying, or whatever else they may want to accomplish in this world. For me the song means that I'm not alone in this fight and the pain that I'm feeling now is only temporary. No matter what I am going through right now, there is always going to be something up ahead that I can look forward to that will be far greater than anything I am going through right now.

Everyday I fight to live; I battle with Mitochondrial Disease and several other chronic conditions. People often call my disease an "invisible illness" because I look healthy from the outside but if you turned my body inside out you would see a different story. This song speaks for me when I don't have the words. I am different from everyone else and sometimes that makes me feel like I am invisible. High school is about figuring out what crowd of people you fit in with, and being different while fighting a disease makes things ten times harder. I do not attend school as often as I would like, I take almost twenty pills a day, I live in pain, I can't eat food like everyone else, and I have three different tubes sticking out of different parts of my body at all times.

I realized a long time ago that I am an outcast in the eyes of everyone else; They don't understand me. A couple of lines from the song play out like this.

‘So your confidence is quiet

To them quiet looks like weakness

But you don't have to fight it

'Cause you're strong enough to win without a war

Every heart has a rhythm

Let yours beat out so loudly

That everyone can hear it

Yeah, I promise you don't need to hide it anymore

Oh, and never be afraid of doing something different

Dare to be something more’

 Every single day I used to always put on an act and play that part of someone I'm not. I'm not healthy, and I am certainly not like everyone else. I decided from the day that I heard this song I would show the world who I really am. I am that girl who choose to live life despite this disease. People need to hear that I am not ashamed of what this disease has done to my body. Knowing that I am not ashamed of having this disease makes them feel more comfortable about being around me. I have opened up more than I ever dreamed I would've since I heard this song.

Since I heard this song I have been to three concerts where Hunter Hayes has preformed, the most recent being last Saturday, and I still feel so emotional every time he plays the song. I am not invisible. I am who I am, and no one needs to be afraid of that because I am happy being me. I have overcome some pretty incredible odds. I don't want to change myself. I've grown confidence and became stronger through this song. I might be different, but I know that I am not invisible when it comes being different because of my disease. I have a voice and I will use it to make an impact.