Having a chronic illness can be an arduous journey, but imagine having an illness that can’t be cured. The seven people that “Afflicted” profiles know that feeling very well. Their chronic problems cause them pain and suffering that everyday people can’t relate to, such as sensitivity to mold, electromagnetic waves and chronic fatigue syndrome.

In the first episode of this docu-series, three of the participants are introduced and viewers learn  about their chronic, hard-to-cure illnesses.

The writers of this series are very straightforward in the intent of these episodes. They focus on the participants individually, and the only thing they have in common is their diagnosis of a seemingly untreatable illness. Connecting the participants is a good approach to creating the series.

There have been some strong negative opinions on behalf of the chronic illness community about the release of this series on Netflix.

In the Los Angeles Times, they discuss the issue of the “Afflicted” series and how it’s harming the community by writing, “The patients are depicted as bleeding their loved ones dry of money and goodwill, as abandoning reputable doctors in favor of greedy quacks, and as being freaks utterly unlike normal healthy people.”

“Afflicted” sheds light on chronic illnesses. Learning about the illnesses that are commonly unknown to the public can spread awareness and show that the affected just want to live healthy lives.

Living an ordinary life may not be something that’s possible for them right away; however, if researchers can find the cures to what they’re suffering from, those afflicted will hopefully live a happier, healthier life in the near future.

“Afflicted” was released on Aug. 10, and you can stream it on Netflix.