This is such a poignant little game! I particularly love how well it speaks for itself - you've put so much narrative into the 36 words and I appreciate that you are letting that stand on its own.
I think what I enjoy most about this is the simplicity of the prompt 'why' - because there are so many ways to answer that. I almost feel like this would make a lovely bookmark to keep in a cozy book by the bedside for reading when waking up late at night. (Which puts me in mind of your contextual note, about your chronic pain flare-up.)
I like that even though the experience is not necessarily pleasant, nor even likely to be so, you've framed it as something that you are able to overcome.
It reminds me of a comment I made on Deric Bindel's game "There Is A Hole In Your Chest," also made for this jam - in my comment I noted how artfully they capture the immediacy of grief/pain/dysphoria/other types of ache, and how hard it can be to take a step back. This game feels like the other side of the coin in my head; you experience that pain AND you persist. In my own little game library in my mind I think these two pieces are companions, and I hope neither of you are upset with me for drawing them together in this way, despite the fact that they're both beautifully different pieces that stand on their own!
We persist!