“Growing up I was a go-getter. A typical type A, or nowadays known as a type 3 on the enneagram..I got validation and worth by working hard and getting good grades. It gave me purpose and confidence. I say ‘I was a type 1’ because while some say don’t let diseases define you, there are…
Trigger Warning: This story includes topics of rape and sexual harassment. “I was diagnosed with severe generalized anxiety disorder, depression, and PTSD at the age of 19. In the year of 2016, when I thought that this would be the prime year of my life, I was raped by a man I knew from high…
“I live with anxiety, depression, and panic disorder. These are names of illnesses that are often carelessly thrown around, but my experience with them has been anything but fickle. My first official diagnosis was in January of 2019. I vividly remember going to bed one night, everything as it should have been. The next thing…
“There is a really frightening sense of finality to chronic illness, the term ‘chronic’ seems to serve to soften the impact of the reality that an autoimmune disorder is something I will probably have until I die, that one day I woke up and spontaneously developed something that will stay with me for my entire…
“My journey is complex, with layers and a non-linear storyline. As it often is in this crazy and wonderful life. However, I live with endometriosis, fibromyalgia, pelvic floor myalgia, IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), vulvar vestibulitis, migraine with aura, and symptoms that often put me in a place of survival mode. Somehow, I always find the…