Highlighting patients and care partners from around the world living positive lives despite the hurdles they face.
These are their stories, in their own words.
By Helen Ross In this blog post, 25-year-old guest blogger Helen Ross shares her story of struggling with anxiety, depression, and crippling panic attacks as a young adult attending college and playing competitive sports. According to the American Institute of Stress, anxiety and depression are the two most common reasons that college students seek mental … Read more>>
By Stephen Mellott I’m an adult with ADHD. I’ve been fortunate enough to have a rewarding career as a product manager for the last 32 years. I earned my bachelor’s degree in business and went back to school in 2012 and earned my MBA. I made a career move to a completely new industry four … Read more>>
By Ashlee Olsen In 2004, about six weeks after giving birth to my son, I developed my first symptom of neuromyelitis optica (NMO), a rare condition where the immune system damages the spinal cord and the optic nerves. One morning, I woke up and couldn’t see out of my right eye. I visited the local … Read more>>
By Stephanie Westlake I have lived with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) since I was a young child, although I did not get diagnosed until I had a breakdown from chronic anxiety at the age of 18. My first symptom was apparent when I was a child and a friend of my mother’s commented that I had … Read more>>
By Barbara Kelly My name is Barbara, I have been married to Richard for 40 years; he is my rock. Having lived on the North Shore of Long Island, we retired to coastal South Carolina in 2009 without a plan, not knowing a soul in town. Never big on planning for the future, we are … Read more>>
By Emily Gammell In this blog post, guest blogger Emily Gammell shares her story of living with Interstitial Cystitis, more commonly known as Painful Bladder Syndrome, which is a painful chronic condition affecting the bladder. September is Interstitial Cystitis Awareness Month and Emily is doing her part to raise awareness of this often undiagnosed and misdiagnosed … Read more>>
By Holly Radabaugh In this blog post, guest blogger Holly Radabaugh shares the story of how her mother survived a heart attack against all odds and emphasizes the importance of recognizing the more subtle signs of a heart attack that many women experience. Nine years ago, my mother had a heart attack and subsequently, open … Read more>>
By John McCaig In this blog post, guest blogger John McCaig shares his story of surviving a sudden cardiac arrest. With his second chance at life, John now works to spread awareness about this condition, which affects more than 200,000 Americans a year, and advocates for CPR training and availability of portable defibrillators. Cardiac arrest is … Read more>>
By Samantha Harkins In this blog post, guest blogger Samantha Harkins shares her journey with inflammatory bowel disease, including several misdiagnoses, multiple surgeries and finally accepting that Crohn’s Disease is part of her identity. Twenty-one years ago, I was a 19-year-old college junior working at my job at the mall. Suddenly I doubled over in … Read more>>
By Phyllisa Deroze In this blog post, Diabetes Advocate Phyllisa Deroze shares her story of being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and how it affects her life on a daily basis. When I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 2011, I was surprised, confused, and overwhelmed. My diagnosis came a week after my primary … Read more>>