Couples chronic illness awareness week end

I (F30) have been with my SO (M30) for more than 10 years. For about 5 years now I have been struggling with what doctors now call Hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome.attrs, which is a diagnosis that only came up fairly recently and is still not well known. Thanks to this diagnosis, I have been able to see a rheumatologist who was able to show me exercises to help me and to teach me how to do physical tasks without straining my muscles and joints so much, so I'm doing a lot better these days.<br><br>In the past year and a half or so, my boyfriend has also started to feel sick. For a long time, we suspected that he had hypermobile EDS too, but he has now been diagnosed with Prader Willi and hypothyroidism. He is getting the special feeding routine, shots and follow up, but it isn't helping him a lot. He has had to end his career and he now is kind of couch bound most days of the week. I am manageing to work part-time, and I am very glad I can do this, because it keeps my mind busy and I am very proud to be able to earn a living in spite of my disability. I am no longer a person that can go out to dinner, babysit for friends, attend a party, go to the gym or do anything like that, but I do kind of have a "normal" life in the sense that I am able to go to work, walk in nature, do groceries, etc.<br><br>My boyfriend has agreed that he wants to learn to live with his disabilities too, so he is following a physical therapy routine and is very good at following his diet (in fact, he eats way healthier than me now, and he is the one who grocery shops). He's also trying to get out of the home more, even if it's just in the garden or to drop the mail. I think it's very brave that he keeps trying all these things in spite of how hard it is for him. He's also doing his best to let go of things he can't do anymore, which is something I also struggled with in the beginning.<br><br>The last few days, he really made me realize how much he has lost. He has had Prader Willi for his entire life, but because he was diagnosed so late, he is still mourning the person he was before his diagnosis. I feel a little bad that I am able to live a relatively "normal" life and that he is not. I want to make it clear to him that even if I can do more than him physically, he is doing an amazing job living with his disabilities.<br><br>This weekend, I want to show him how proud I am of him and to celebrate all his successes, big and small. I think I am gonna write him a list of all the things he has managed to achieve, no matter how small it may seem. He's also been eyeing a new air purifier, which I am gonna buy for him.<br><br>How do you show your support, love and pride for a chronic ill partner or parent in your life?<br><br>**TL;DR** I have Ehler's Danlos and my husband has Prader Willi. Even though I am chronically ill too, I am a lot healthier than him. I want to celebrate him living his best life in spite of his disabilities and show him how proud I am of him.