Hillary Clinton was diagnosed with a “mild, non-contagious” bacterial pneumonia on Sept. 9 that left her dizzy at the anniversary ceremony for the 9/11 terrorist attacks. After being forced to stay home and recover, she made it back to the campaign trail Sept. 15, only six days after the initial diagnosis.
Despite personal feelings about the Democratic presidential candidate, everyone needs to admit that she is acting tough through the course of her illness.
When a person suffers from pneumonia, symptoms such as coughing, fever, chills, difficulty breathing and sharp chest pain occur. The illness is undoubtedly unpleasant, but having it at 68 years old is undoubtedly worse.
For Clinton, I can only imagine it must be even harder.
Because Clinton has gone through roughly half her life in the public eye, she is no stranger to living a fast-paced life. However, though she knows by now what it is like to have everyone watch her, the standards placed on her have only gone up since she accepted the presidential nomination earlier this year. 
Clinton is heavily criticized in everything she does. While criticism is warranted on matters concerning policy or similar issues, she catches flak for minute things, such as style, or in this case, a common illness for people her age. 
Clinton being the first woman nominated for a major presidential election does not help, either. 
As a woman, Clinton is already seen as weaker than her male counterparts. No matter what people say they believe, a part of them will always think a woman is not as fit as a man to be in high office. 
People still have their internal biases no matter the situation. Just like people question President Obama’s place of birth, people question Clinton’s physical strength. 
A curable sickness does not affect her ability to act as president. If the pneumonia proves anything, it’s that Clinton is strong enough to push through even the toughest of physical ailments. 
I have my own beliefs on her as a person and politician, as everyone should, but focusing on these unimportant issues will hurt the country in the long run.
It does everyone harm to focus on anything but a candidate’s policy. The year of Trump has normalized focusing on trivial issues, but it only dumbs down the process, making it harder for citizens to elect the best candidate.
Question Clinton’s stances on the issues, but don’t waste time harping on the little things. Don’t question her physical aptitude to be president, because at the end of the day, the majority of presidential candidates are old and sick in some way or another, just like her. 
I have my own problems with Clinton, and I am not scared to criticize her on the issues, but attacking her on insignificant things is irresponsible. Just like she has quickly recovered from pneumonia, we need to move on to the rest of the race and focus on what really matters: electing a good president.
Lynne Bunch is an 18-year-old mass communication freshman from Terrytown, Louisiana.