Health Time Capsule

"Pretend you're making a time capsule of you and your health focus that won't be opened until 2110. What's in it? What would people think of it when they found it?"

If I was making a time capsule about myself and POTS, I would approach it in four parts.

The first part would consist of things about me and my life. There wouldn't be anything intensely personal; just a small biography (the kind found on a book jacket) and a few photos of things that are important to me. I don't think that anyone who would dig up my time capsule after I'd passed on would be all that concerned about knowing every tiny aspect of my life, so I'd just provide enough information to put a face to the name of the person who created the capsule.

The second part would be entirely about POTS. I would put in information about the disease, research being done, treatment options, names of prominent POTS specialists and any kind of news coverage about POTS that I could find. I'd also be sure to include any important dates such as awareness weeks and the information for groups and individuals who are involved with POTS awareness and advocacy.

The third part, I would want to include are personal testimonials. I would videos and blog posts from/about those with POTS; as well as documentation/ stories about how POTS affects me and my life. I'd ask other POTSies to write about their triumphs over the disease, and achievement of goals in spite of their illness. I would probably ask family members and friends to write short testimonials about how it has affected them and their lives as well.

The last thing that I would want to include would be a small number of songs, videos and quotes for inspiration and support.

As to what people would think of it when they found it...

I honestly don't know what they'd think. What I would hope they would get out of it is a wealth of information about POTS, not just about the disease but about those people who are affected by it. I'd also hope that the message would not just be informational but also inspirational; that the accomplishments of the POTS community would last and might just help more people to stand up for our cause and bring it the recognition that it needs- which I hope will be much farther along one hundred years from now than it is today.