“Doctors told me, ‘It’s all in your head.’ I started to lose hope. I couldn’t even take a shower or wash my hair without help. I couldn’t swallow without difficulty and occasional choking. It started to sink in. My life will always be different than others.”
‘Everything is fine, but…’ I tensed up. I thought everyone was in as much pain as I was. I found myself alone with NO answers.’: Chronic illness warrior urges ‘NEVER give up on your health’
‘There’s nothing else we can do.’ I lost my hair in handfuls at a time. It was hard to look in the mirror. I didn’t see the point in living.’: Chronic illness warrior says ‘I’ll never take life for granted’
“I started to see bald patches on the back of my head. My legs and arms would ache so badly I felt like I would vomit. I lay on the couch, wondering why my body hated me so much. Every day, I woke up with one more symptom, one more medical bill.”
‘I was accepted into Juilliard. I’d worked SO hard, and suddenly I couldn’t even do what I was there to do. I was forced to STOP.’: Musician details struggle with connective tissue disease, ‘My health became priority’
“I practiced 2 hours the day before, but when I got to class I couldn’t remember ANYTHING. I ran out of the classroom and cried. I HAD to acknowledge my pain.”
‘Don’t go home, don’t stop for lunch. Go to the ER now.’ This joyous event was clouded over. We had no idea what to expect.’: Mom diagnosed with kidney disease, ‘My child saved my life’
“I felt very drained. I kept running to the bathroom every 5 minutes. My shoes wouldn’t fit, and my face was starting to look and feel puffy. Our precious child was now going to help Mommy fight for her life.”
‘In my left hand, I held a gun. In the other was a beer. My first Christmas as a single mom without my kids was soul-wrenching.’: Woman shares grief journey, ‘Life is messy and beautiful’
“I walked up to the cashier with a plunger and a six-pack of beer. ‘Merry Christmas!’ she beamed. I’m not sure I even said anything, but it wouldn’t take a rocket scientist to see I wasn’t feeling the spirit. This wasn’t how I intended to spend Christmas Day.”
‘Some people just have to learn to live with numbness.’ I lost feeling in my face. I thought I was dying.’: Woman with Multiple Sclerosis becomes advocate, ‘Your life is changing, not ending’
“It felt like my rib cage was being crushed, and as if I had forgotten how to breathe. ‘It sounds like panic attacks.’ When a nurse was there with a box of tissues, I realized it wasn’t going to be the same this time.”
‘I can’t go out. I’m too tired.’ They laughed, ‘You’re always tired.’ I’ll be sick for the rest of my life.’: Woman with chronic illnesses raises awareness, ‘You have nothing to be ashamed of’
“I became ill, only it never went away. I gave up studying medicine. I thought I couldn’t have the life I wanted. Being chronically ill takes your health, but not your dreams.”
‘I can’t breathe.’ My vision faded. Life wasn’t worth living. I was too expensive to be kept alive.’: Woman battles Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension, ‘I’m on the road to acceptance’
“I left the ER with no answers. I began to give voice to the intense pain I experienced daily. ‘Something is very wrong with you!’ I smiled. Finally, someone believed me.”
‘Ew, get your cancer away from me.’ I have tumors in every bone. I hated feeling so different.’: Woman with Multiple Hereditary Exostoses advocates for disability rights, ‘I will be the change’
“I actually felt the needle scrape the bone and went straight to work after. When a coworker called me lazy for not offering her help, I was beyond myself. I posted on Facebook, finally exposing my secret to the world. That was the first step.”
‘This has been a hard journey. I know the want to give up. This road isn’t meant to be walked alone.’: Woman pens open letter to chronic illness warriors, ‘I’m fighting beside you’
“You can be in your bed, on a couch, in a hospital room, or a doctor’s office. It doesn’t matter where your life is taking place. There’s a beautiful life waiting for all of us if we choose it.”
