RECEIVING A DIAGNOSIS

I understand firsthand the overwhelming feelings of fear, confusion, and uncertainty that accompany receiving life-altering news. At just sixteen years old, I received a life-changing phone call that would turn my world upside down. A doctor on the other end of the line revealed that I had been diagnosed with muscular dystrophy. That moment, everything changed for me. I felt utterly unprepared for all that was to come; the endless doctor visits, the uncertainty of my future, and the struggle to cope with an ever changing chronic, debilitating disease. I had childhood trauma before my muscular dystrophy diagnosis. I wish I knew then what I now know, childhood trauma coupled with a diagnosis, exasperates both. I couldn’t separate them, they overlapped, and life got so overwhelming it made it nearly impossible to get out of bed.
My goal is to lend my experience and expertise to help others use the tools I have acquired to understand and cope with the trauma of their new reality.
If you or someone you know has just received a diagnosis, know that there is help available; you do not have to face the journey alone.