More Secondlife- Real Life stories. Taking mind off a real life pain disorder

Second Life Saves Me from a Real Life Pain Disorder (Comment of the Week)

This open thread on why people continue to stay in Second Life is really great, topped in my view by this answer from an SLer named Cube Republic:

I found SL just as I was diagnosed with a rare pain disorder, reputedly the most painful a human can endure. Creating in SL and living a fantasy helps me forget the reality of my existence, which is painful. I can work around my condition and make money to boot. I have a lot to be grateful to SL for. I learnt 3D, first prims, then sculpts and now mesh through my engagement with the platform. I really hope SL2 lives up to my hopes. I consider this now my life's work, and I hope my work makes other people happy.

This is awesome in many ways, and when I asked Cube to tell more more about this disorder, discovered there was still more to this story that made it even more awesome:

"I have trigeminal neuralgia," Cube tells me. "They call it 'the suicide disease', although I'm not in the mood to rage quit so don't worry! It's accompanied by very loud tinnitus in my ears which can be quite nauseating. I was first diagnosed with it at university and it cost me the end of my degree. I was given a load of different medications via the pain management clinic. Nasty stuff like carbamazepine, synthetic opiates, antidepressant etc. The meds even ended up putting me into hospital from the side effects. I don't take anything now. I feel that SL takes my mind off it and possibly makes happy chemicals such as endorphin. It also has the added benefit of providing me work which I can schedule around my disorder. For this I'm very grateful to SL. Also I got married to my SL partner in RL on Friday gone. We met day two of SL in 2007!"
Like I said, even awesomer. And happy anniversary wishes to Cube and spouse.
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