After more than 20 years of increasingly difficult health issues, I was recently diagnosed with a connective tissue disorder that is requiring major surgery at the end of January to get me back on track to healthy.

For the last 20+ years, I’ve struggled with chronic pain, reoccurring injuries, and general health decline with no explanation… until now!

I finally received a diagnosis of moderate hypermobile Ehlers Danlos, a multi-system connective tissue disorder that is characterized by chronic pain, joint instability, and other internal issues..

This diagnosis not only explains the otherwise bizarre patterns of my health, but also gives me a plan for how to manage moving forward.

The first step is major surgery to deal with some of the ways this disorder has altered some of my internal workings.

Though the surgery is expected to help a lot, my diagnosis also means additional complications and a much longer recovery time.

To prioritize my health, I’ve had to take significant time off work and postpone my last semester of graduate school.

This has been very validating, but as I'm sure you can imagine, very challenging.

We are asking for some financial help to offset the loss of income, additional medical bills, and to make sure I have the right tools for recovery.