I have been asked several times since the start of my blog why I called my blog the Butterfly Chronicles. I thought I would use this week’s blog to address this question. I call it the Butterfly Chronicles due to the fact those that are diagnosed with Turner Syndrome call themselves butterflies. As a little girl I was fascinated by butterflies and loved looking at all the different varieties that would come into my grandmother’s garden. Being that I am someone who was born with this disorder butterflies have always been special, and I thought calling it the butterfly chronicles was the perfect fit.
The second question I get is why those who are diagnosed with Turner Syndrome call themselves butterflies. There are a few reasons for this one major reason is because just like those with Turner syndrome butterflies may seem fragile, yet they are strong just like us girls who have Turner Syndrome. Each case of Turners in unique and no two cases are the same just like when you look at a butterfly each one has different features that make them beautiful in their own way just like each of us that have Turner syndrome.
The most common reason is that those that are diagnosed with Turner Syndrome are missing an X chromosome. Girls with Turner syndrome have 45 chromosomes instead of 46. When you look at an x chromosome under the microscope it looks like a butterfly and that started the process of all of us being called butterflies.
I know those like me who went through some of the health scares and issues that most of us Turner girls do we tend to feel like you are not special and often feel self-conscious around others. We all have what I call cocoon days when we want to be a caterpillar and stay in our cocoon when we are not ready to face the world, I know I have had those days. When you have those days, I want my fellow butterflies to feel that you are just as beautiful and unique as any butterfly. I want you to feel like you can no matter what life brings your way that you can soar and find the butterfly in you.
