Time after time when I’ve told someone my life story (or at least the crappy parts) they told me I was “strong.” I never understood that word as pertaining to me. I looked at the world around me and the people that I considered strong. They were true fighter’s; the people who …
Read More »My fight began when I was 11. I was told that some women just have painful periods. Finally in 1986, at the age of 13 and after 3 surgeries, my life changed forever when I was told I had endometriosis and they cleaned it off. Six months later I was …
Read More »My name is Teri. I’m a 38 year old married mother of six. I have four children of my own and two stepchildren. I had an amazing life; I was a hair stylist by day and a mommy by night. I married the love of my life just nine short …
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In march of 2010 I went in for a hysterectomy, after having month’s of worsening pain in my lower abdomen. My OB/GYN first said that I had a cyst. Then said I had polyp, and later said it maybe adenomyosis. I was prescribed birth control pills, and pain medicine to …
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My fight started October, 2011. I always had this mystery rash develop and at times it would get severe. I also had a lot of joint pain. I would ache all over all the time. I knew something was wrong and not right so I went to my family doctor. …
Read More »I received my official multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis April 2012. The diagnosis provided answers to a multitude of unexplained symptoms that haunted my past, so for that I am glad. However, I currently find myself VERY ANGRY at the disease. I am fighting the fatigue, depression and medication side effects. I fear and sense of loss …
Read More »For three years now, I am a 2 time survivor of cervical cancer. Let me start my story by saying that I probably had cancer long before we found out. I was too stubborn to go to the doctor. I have always had painful, heavy periods. At the age 13, I had …
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When I was 16-months-old, on the cusp of toddler-hood, doctors told my mother and father that I would not live to see my 10th birthday. I was diagnosed with cystinosis, a condition so incredibly rare, that the majority of doctors have never ever heard of it, let alone have any …
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I was born with hydrocephalus. I have had over 250 brain surgeries. I have a VP shunt (ventriculo-peritoneal shunt) right now. When they tried a VA shunt (ventriculo-atrial shunt), it caused a blood clot in my heart. So I had to have open heart surgery to get rid of it. It …
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When I was 35, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, borderline stage 3. I went through 9 months of chemotherapy consisting of (ABVD) Adramycin, Bleomycin, Vinblastine, and Dacarbazine. Luckily I had a wonderful doctor in Columbia, Missouri at Ellis Fischel. That was 14 years ago. It’s hard. It really is. You …
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