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Chronic conditions are family conditions.
The impact of a chronic condition, like a stone thrown into a quiet lake, ripples out from the one affected to his or her circle of family and friends. Attitudes about oneself or about others may require adjustment, communication usually changes and there are frequently shifts in responsibility. Note that any of these changes can be positive or negative. Whether it is positive or negative depends on the willingness of one with a chronic condition and his or her inner circle of friends and family to deal directly with the changes created by the onset of a chronic condition. Even pretending that nothing has changed will affect the relationships.