🏥 What it means to have grown up without adequate medical care
Growing up without adequate medical care meant basic health needs like medical attention, proper treatment, and preventive care were often unmet—no one made sure you had the healthcare you needed when you needed it.
You may have learned to fend for yourself early, becoming a tiny adult who diagnosed illnesses via library books and learned which neighbors might help when your family couldn't. Survival became your curriculum while other kids learned math, leaving you resourceful but unsure if your needs should matter.
You may find that even now, when basic care is offered, your body tenses—waiting for the catch because kindness feels like a language you never fully learned. Relationships feel transactional as you keep score of who owes whom, and you minimize your needs or feel guilty asking for help, as if they're a burden just like they seemed to your caregivers.