Like Trippin' said... he did explicitly state that he DID mean illness.

I also wasn't demanding he change anything or apologize or anything of the sort - I was just pointing out how it can often be interpreted! For him to then resort to calling me "Babe" to dismiss me? ((On this particular forum, gender and equality issues have been a rather big topic... the only person who has been banned from this part of that forum has been for being a gigantic sexist))...

If I knew that I was saying something that was really insensitive towards an entire group of people.. I'd rather like to know about it, and that's sorta how people tend to be in that community. So I've just been rather shocked by their reaction - and hurt.