People expect positivity and optimism. However, I feel very real feelings and I refuse to sugarcoat them or hide them for the sake of positivity. Being an advocate and bringing awareness to different subjects, includes all sides of the issue at hand. Let’s start from the beginning. For years, I have had issues with my…
My Hysterectomy at 28, My Choice
As I went through months and months of various symptoms, including excessive and abnormal bleeding and pain, I always half jokingly said that I wish I could just have my uterus removed. Well today, that became my reality when I had a hysterectomy. I started my period when I was 11 years old. When something…
Survival or Debt: The Plight of the Chronically Ill and Underinsured
Fighting for your life or crippling debt. Millions of Americans face this choice, even with health insurance coverage. A staggering amount of those people battling chronic illness are facing both. The uninsured populations are more widely known and discussed, but what about those who are underinsured? Being underinsured describes an individual having some…
What Howard University Homecoming 2017 Meant to Me
Howard University Homecoming 2017 wasn’t just a party for me. It was a reunion, a reconnection, a celebration, an anniversary, my sanctity and my sanity.
(re)Building Into Brilliance
To quote one of my favorite guilty pleasure TV shows, “Sometimes the future changes quickly and completely. And we’re left only with the choice of what to do next. We can choose to be afraid of it, to stand there trembling, not moving, assuming the worst can happen. Or we can step forward into the…
How I Went From a $60,000 Career to Needing Emergency Food Stamps
My career is in public health, where I spend my time advocating for people in order for a reduction in health disparities. The clients we serve are typically low income, with insurance difficulties, health problems or risks, and competing needs in obtaining the necessary resources to survive. I have worked to get people access to…
Aetna Would Rather Have Me Risk My Life Than Approve My Treatment
One of my biggest fears is fainting and falling onto the train platform of the city’s public transportation system while running errands or on the way to work. Lately, this fear is becoming closer and closer to reality as symptoms of my chronic health conditions have gotten worse and my insurance carrier, Aetna, is partly…
The Coldest Winter…
Usually in the winter, the symptoms stemming from my Sjogrens, POTS and other conditions tend to flare up. I was prepared for a flare but I didn’t expect the nightmare that subsequently happened. I went on a brief trip to LA to escape the cold, but when I returned my quality of life seemed to go downhill. It…
When My Mental Health Overshadowed My Chronic Illness
I have dedicated so much time and energy to focusing on the physical symptoms of my chronic illnesses: daily moderate pain, numbness and tingling in my legs, spending nights curled up on the bathroom floor with nausea, vomiting and heartburn, and debilitating fatigue. These are just a few of the symptoms that I consistently experience…
The Book
I am pleased to announce that I have written and published my first book! It is based of this blog and describes my journey in navigating life as a twenty-something living with chronic illness. It’s truly been a labor of love. The book is available for purchase on Amazon: http://goo.gl/QQ0Xdx. I would appreciate any reviews or…
My Hidden Truths 