“The apartment above mine had a leak. My bedroom was full of black mold. They ‘cleaned’ it by painting over it. I gave up. 2 months later, I couldn’t get out of bed. I desperately searched for answers.”
‘This isn’t living. It’s merely surviving.’ I was totally bed-bound. I was a shadow of the person I used to be.’: Woman with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome says ‘I appreciate every single second’
‘Everything looked normal to the surgeon.’ I felt helpless. My fight to find what was wrong was nowhere near over.’: Woman finally diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease, ‘Be your own advocate’
“I woke up in the recovery room. ‘Did they find anything?’ My heart broke when the tests came back clear. I’d been relying on this surgery to give me answers. My body was struggling.”
‘What if they don’t believe me?’ The surgeons had NO answers. I was labeled a ‘hypochondriac.’: Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome warrior becomes advocate, ‘The frustration fueled a fire in me’
“I could’ve lost my life. I think of the doctor who laughed at me. ‘You’re healthy!’ he’d say. I wanted to give up more times than I can count. But I NEVER wanted someone to walk in my shoes.”
‘It’s called the suicide disease.’ Pus gushed out of my surgical site. Doctors didn’t take me seriously.’: Trigeminal Neuralgia warrior details journey, ‘Helping others gives my suffering purpose’
“My face feels like I’m pressing it on a stove burner. The pain stops me in my tracks and I’m unable to talk. I was told to ‘power through.’ I decided to advocate for myself.”
‘I live in physical agony. The sea welcomed me into her icy embrace. The first touch of water began to lick my pain away.’: Chronic illness warrior finds pain relief, ‘The tools are within us’
“No reservations of nerves played on my mind. I tasted the salted air and strode into the ocean. You begin to realize nothing really mattered but your mind, your focus, your control. ‘Until next time, my love. I will be back.’”
‘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’
“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.”
‘You just picked up a virus.’ I was dizzy every second of the day and felt excruciating pain. Why wasn’t this going away?’: Woman advocates for Chronic Lyme Disease, ‘We’re in this together’
“I felt a pit in my stomach. Then the pain started, a sharp pain right above my belly button that wouldn’t go away. I was collapsing every time I got out of bed. I’d drink a ton of water, eat enough, and was still feeling ill.”
‘What the heck just happened?’ I looked 7 months pregnant. Our nurse said, ‘Your ovaries are the size of grapefruits!’: Endometriosis warrior candidly details infertility, IVF journey
“Our rock-solid marriage has been tested to its limits.”
‘I don’t want to die. Living like this is exhausting. It’s taken everything from me.’: Woman with chronic illnesses says ‘I feel incredibly lucky to still be here’
“I’m exhausted fighting for my life every single day, facing death so often. I’m exhausted living one day to the next and not knowing if I’m going to be alive in the morning. I’m in a never-ending nightmare. Except it’s not a nightmare. It’s my reality.”
‘You have a tough road ahead.’ That was an understatement. I had to accept the possibility of dying before I really got to live.’: Chronic illness warrior says ‘I’ve so much to be grateful for’
“My fiancé broke off our engagement. ‘I miss having physical relations.’ I was too sick. I’ll probably never get married and I’ll definitely never have kids. My journey has taught me to find joy in the little things.”
