“You just have to learn to live with the headaches.” The doctor looked at me with a complete lack of interest, clearly not caring about what that sentence might mean for a 20-something trying to adjust to adulthood as a firefighter/paramedic. I had spent months trying to ignore the pain, overcome the balance problems, and […] View page
Hi! My name is Jada and I am a recent graduate of St. Mary’s College of Maryland currently living in Suitland, MD. I am 22 years old, and when I was 13 years old, I was diagnosed with EDS by Dr. Francomano after a grueling year of ER visits and hospital stays. More recently, I […] View page
My first symptoms of hypermobility spectrum disorder (HSD) were simple and seemingly harmless. I was super bendy. I could do all sorts of contortions and party tricks. As I got older however, each year came with more problems. By age 10 I was having chronic nausea, and by age 11, my first symptoms of Postural […] View page
Before I was diagnosed with EDS at the age of 37, I would have described myself as outgoing, friendly, brave, trusting and strong – but it wasn’t until now, 3-5 years after being officially diagnosed, that I consider I truly know what these words mean. I wanted to be resilient and courageous, pushing healthy boundaries […] View page
My story is like most with EDS. As a young child, I heard “it’s just growing pains” multiple times. As a teenager, my immune system dipped and infection wreaked havoc on my body. It wasn’t until a virus came a few years later that left permanent damage. I was diagnosed with hypermobile EDS (hEDS) in […] View page
I’d always been hypermobile as a child and used it to my advantage as a ballet dancer, but I was forever in pain and getting injured. We was always told by doctors that it was just growing pains and “double jointedness” is common in children. I then moved away and started university. Whilst I was […] View page
I’m Spencer, I’m 16 years old, and I have hEDS. I wanted to share my story, because I know that there isn’t a lot of visibility for the men out there with EDS. My symptoms started when I was 6 years old. It started out as pain and instability in my ankles and knees, which was […] View page
I tell you this as a person who has never wished to pace herself that we sometimes need to take a step back and look at ourselves from the eyes of our loved ones. View page
Over the past five months, I have powered through the pain. I have continued to make the most out of my abilities. Just three weeks ago I had the surgery to remove my broken hardware. I am excited to no longer be known in my school as “the girl with the broken back.” I know that I am resilient, that I am capable of anything I imagine myself to be. View page
My name is Jimmy and I’m currently a freshman in college studying management of information systems. When most people look at me, it’s hard to tell that I struggle with what could be classified as an “invisible disorder.” And yet, as I’ve since discovered, EDS and my associated conditions are all the more real and important. View page
