Today was one of those days. You know, the ones where fibromyalgia decides to throw a full-blown flare-up at you while life demands that you keep going. My husband is away for work, so it’s just me and the kids. And today, my body hurt from head to toe.

I tried to be productive, but every move felt like climbing a mountain. My first task? Charging my car. Simple enough, right? Except every fast charger in London seemed either occupied or broken. I spent hours driving around, the pain intensifying with every failed attempt. Eventually, it became too much. I sat in my car and cried. Not just a tear or two—I mean the ugly, exhausted, soul-draining kind of crying.

But there was no time to stop. My youngest, who has Autism, had a dentist appointment. And Lord have mercy, it did not go well. The meltdown started before we even got to the chair. He wanted his train. He wanted his crisps. And me? I was so overwhelmed by the day that I forgot to bring anything for him.

The dentist, seeing me on the verge of a breakdown while my son screamed and cried, gently suggested we rebook. Back in the car, both of us in tears, I felt numb. Was I mad? Sad? Angry? All of the above? The pain was so consuming that I didn’t even have the energy to comfort my son. And that hurt the most.

When we finally got home, a miracle was waiting—a free charging pole right outside my door. I thanked God for that small mercy. Inside, my son and I cried together, knowing dinner still needed to be made. My older son would be home soon, and I had to keep going. Dinner wasn’t served until 7 p.m., but hey, we made it.

If you’re wondering where my support network was, well, it’s me, myself, and I until my husband gets back.

The moral of this story? Life with fibromyalgia is hard. Life with fibromyalgia while raising kids with learning disabilities or delays is HARD. But despite the pain, the exhaustion, and the tears, I am grateful. My boys are my reason to keep going. They are why I endure the pain, why I push through the hardest days. For them, I will always keep fighting.

To anyone else going through similar struggles, you are not alone. We might bend, but we will never break.