ABSTRACT
I t seems appropriate in a book dealing with change, transition, and loss that we pay attention to disability or chronic degenerative health conditions. Individuals experience very few life-altering events that cause as much upheaval, outside of the death of a loved one, than the diagnosis of a health-care problem that will stay with them throughout their life. For many, their chronic illness will take them through exacerbations, or are-ups, and periods of relative quiet, or remissions. What will no doubt remain constant is the fear of further disability and the ongoing struggle to adapt, adjust, and cope as a condition continues or progresses and deteriorates. It is important to recognize the profound loss experiences that accompany a chronic illness, especially for young people in the prime of their lives, who may feel robbed of a future they had planned so meticulously. Older people also suffer numerous disruptions and grieve accordingly; however, they may feel less surprised by ill health, accepting it as part of the normal aging process. Either way the illness experience is fraught with changes, transitions, and losses that result in grief in individuals and their families.
