“‘It’s all in your head, Jessica. It’s just your severe anxiety playing up. You CAN walk, it’s all mind over matter.’ No one took me seriously.”
‘The problem was there 2 years prior and no one believed me.’: Disabled chronic illness warrior shares long journey to diagnosis
‘I left in tears, feeling more defeated than ever.’: Chronic illness warrior fighting for answers opens up about ‘medical gaslighting’
“The base of my skull became so sensitive to touch I couldn’t lay on a pillow without being in more pain. My neurologist would tell me he never had a patient have this reaction before and left it at that.”
‘Brushing my teeth felt like climbing a hill.’: Adoptee shares traumatic diagnosis journey of rare autoimmune disorder
“‘Why couldn’t I run without feeling so tired or weak? Why did every single movement make me feel like my body just wanted to shut down?’ I lost a lot of stamina and endurance and was dealing with mental exhaustion from being bullied at school.”
‘Our love was indescribable.’: Unmarried widow shares unique grief journey after losing partner with Cystic Fibrosis
“Not even 5 pages in, the author started to mention a term not many people hear of: unmarried widow. It felt so nice to finally hear someone say it, validating my feelings and the amount of grief I had.”
‘We noticed a golf ball-sized lump on our little baby’s neck.’: Mom details lymphatic malformation signs, symptoms, and advice
“When Hunter was about a week hold, we noticed his breathing seemed raspy and louder than it should be.”
POTS Warrior Talks Medical Gaslighting, Finding Community, & Living A Joyful Life With Chronic Illness
“The doctor said I looked fine and told me ‘plenty of patients’ would want to be me. He refused to refer me to another hospital, discharged me, and told me to just ‘try some yoga.’ Within 24 hours, I developed an infection; my stomach was in so much pain I couldn’t breathe. My body was getting weaker by the minute.”
Woman In Physical Recovery Shares Living In ‘Parallel World’
“Everything from your old life just slips away further and further. Time doesn’t hold a significance anymore. I’ve been so separated from the outside world, it doesn’t even feel real.”
‘How long do I need to do this for?’ He replied, ‘Indefinitely.’: Woman with diabetes shares struggle of diagnosis, daily life
“Living 18 years one way and having it flipped on its head with an incurable autoimmune disease made me angry at the world. But diabetes has given me some of the best experiences of my life.”
‘Not one trauma surgeon thought I’d make it.’: After being hit by car, woman with lupus works to help others
“For anyone wondering, ‘What can I do as one person?’ The truth is your story could alter someone’s life forever.”
‘I was using whatever was available to cope.’: Woman overcomes eating disorder, addiction to become mental health advocate
“‘No one wants to help me because I’m going to die?’ And he said, ‘Well yeah, I’m sorry. But I’ll keep trying.’ Two months passed, and every day for two months I was still using fentanyl.”