“When my mom asked me to take a step back from school and work to take care of her during her cancer treatments, I didn’t hesitate to choose my mama. By being a caregiver, I learned how to be a patient.”
‘You’re YOUNG, what do you have to be stressed about?’ I was living the life of a 50-year-old. I was a caregiver AND a patient.’: Migraine warrior takes care of mom during cancer battle
‘You have MULTIPLE disorders, all at once.’ I’ve been home-bound for 5 YEARS. I didn’t know I had this COURAGE.’: Chronic migraine sufferer shares journey, ‘NEVER stop pushing’
“There will be days when you have to take the pain minute by minute. You’ll dig deep and find a strength you didn’t know was humanly possible.”
‘My left hand went numb. It crept to the side of my face. ‘I think I just had a stroke?’ I turned to my boyfriend in fear.’: Woman begins weight loss after stroke-like symptoms, PCOS diagnosis
“I was labeled an ‘attention whore.’ Things took a turn for the worst. The urgent care doctor kept asking, ‘Can you tell me your name?’ I was unable to speak. I kept trying, but only jumbled words came out. I started to panic. After the diagnosis, she replied, ‘Well, I can put you on birth control.’ I said, ‘That doesn’t address what’s causing this. What can I do to fix this?’ She grew increasingly annoyed. I broke down right there. It felt like an absolute robbery to have to leave that exam room.”
‘I find you arrogant, rude, disrespectful and jealous.’ A workplace conflict left me hurt. She didn’t believe a single word.’: Woman learns of autism diagnosis at 23, ‘I finally learned the truth. I am not broken’
“Teachers would say, ‘Lauren is very polite, gifted, such a cute little girl.’ My peers started to reject me. My school life was marred by rumors and taunts. I began to tell myself, ‘There is something wrong with you.’ I could never remember to bathe. I once went half a year without washing my hair. At age 23, I finally learned the truth. I am autistic. I am not broken.”
‘I was told to ‘Man up.’ Did they honestly think I was just a drug seeker? ‘I can’t keep feeding you with medication,’ my doctors said. ‘The pain will eventually just go away.’ Was I going mad?’
“It started when I was 17, during my last year in high school. One day it struck, and it hasn’t left since. I went dizzy, I felt sick, I was confused. My head was pounding like a freight train. I just wanted to be a normal teenager.”
‘At 4 a.m. we got THE call. ‘YOU’RE HAVING A BABY! Mom’s water broke! How fast can you get here?’ With tears streaming down her face, she handed him to me and said, ‘Meet your son.’
“We were 7 hours away! We woke up the friends we were staying with, told them what was happening, brushed our teeth, and hit the road! We started calling family from the car. ‘Wake up, we’re having a baby!’”
‘This chip clip saved my life tonight. I had a migraine start almost 12 hours ago and it was at an unbearable limit.’
“I had exhausted all of my drugs and tricks. I glanced at the counter and saw this chip clip. Within one minute I had some relief.”
