Living with POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome)

Michelle has always known that something in her body wasn’t functioning correctly. Throughout her childhood she sought help from her parents and doctors, but was told over and over that her symptoms weren’t real or serious. It wasn’t until her late 20s that Michelle was finally diagnosed with POTS, or Read more…

Life after a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

Eight years ago Christelle was hit by a texting driver while riding her bicycle. Her head went through the driver’s windshield, fracturing her skull and causing a traumatic brain injury. Three lobes of her brain were affected, resulting in a variety of symptoms including issues communicating, emotional dysregulation and difficulty Read more…

Accessible Recreation at Achieve Tahoe

Achieve Tahoe is a nonprofit organization offering year-round outdoor recreation activities for people with cognitive, sensory, and physical disabilities. They offer a wide variety of accessible activities including snowsports, water skiing, hiking, archery, climbing, equestrian skills, paddle sports and sailing. Their goal is to make these activities available to people Read more…

Born Positive: Living with HIV since Birth

Joseph Kibler is a 32 year old actor and writer who was born HIV positive. As a baby he wasn’t expected to live past 4 years old, but an experimental drug trial run by Dr. Fauci in the 80s gave him the chance to thrive. The virus altered the gray Read more…

Fighting Medical Gaslighting while Living with Chronic Illness

Aimée has been experiencing chronic pain and increasingly debilitating neurological symptoms throughout her life. She was first diagnosed with fibromyalgia at just 12 years old, at a time when that diagnosis carried little to no actionable recourse and significant stigma. Due to a lack of helpful doctors in the face Read more…

Life as a Spinal Cord Injury Survivor

Chris Stigas is an entrepreneur and accessibility activist. His first accessibility product, the HandiCup, fills the need for a simple, effective solution for carrying a beverage on a wheelchair or walker. He is the recipient of the 2020 Patti Dawson Activist of the Year Award for his work with Spinal Read more…

Living with Idiopathic Ventricular Tachycardia

Jimmy and Charles met when they were 18 and 19 years old, just a few years after Charles had been diagnosed with idiopathic ventricular tachycardia (IVT). At 13 he underwent surgery to implant a pacemaker, which regulates his heart rate during IVT episodes when his heart beats chaotically. Charles was Read more…

Living with Adrenal Cancer, Heart Failure, Diabetes Insipidus and More

Brooke has been diagnosed with over a dozen health conditions. Her diagnostic journey began with relatively manageable diseases including asthma, type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and Hashimoto’s disease, but took an intense turn in her late 30s when she experienced heart failure, discovered an adrenal tumor, was diagnosed with diabetes Read more…

Living with Ankylosing Spondylitis, Crohn’s Disease and Fibromyalgia

Elias has a trio of chronic pain syndromes, ankylosing spondylitis, Crohn’s disease and fibromyalgia. Ankylosing spondylitis is the least well-known of these conditions, and involves a cycle of inflammation, calcification, scarring and bone formation that can actually fuse vertebrae together over time. Crohn’s disease is a form of inflammatory bowel Read more…

Living with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND)

Nolan had been living with unexplained exhaustion for years before their health flare-up kicked into high gear. Suddenly they were experiencing seizures, weakness, gait issues and vocal/motor ticks. When seeking answers from doctors they were often brushed off, having the reality of their symptoms denied when answers were not immediately Read more…