Some people may think posting pictures in a hospital is a cry for attention. They may think that talking about my illness gets repetitive. How many times do I have to tell the world of social media about pulmonary hypertension? Some think…
Recharged and Rewired
— Brittany Foster
Brittany Foster lives in Cranston, Rhode Island, and has a passion for teaching, writing, and advocating. She was a special educator for four years before beginning her work at Bionews in 2017. She was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension at birth, 1991, due to a congenital heart defect. Brittany writes openly about how chronic illness and rare disease impacts her daily life and mental health. She wants people to know that there is still a very high quality of life possible for those with medical conditions despite all the inevitable challenges, treatments, and procedures. On good days, you can find Brittany playing street hockey with her nephew or listening to country songs while driving to the beach.
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H.O.P.E.: Hold on, pain ends. This acronym came across my phone screen as I was scrolling through social media last month. Despite my physical pain and emotional discomfort, I laughed and thought to myself, “Whoever came up with this acronym has clearly never dealt with chronic pain. Pain doesn’t…
It’s no surprise that our bodies and our minds are connected. With PH, we live in bodies that are tired almost constantly. We are nauseous, light-headed, have headaches, and are short of breath almost every single day. We deal with aches and pains that…
“I’m fine,” I said to myself as I pushed through hockey games feeling awful. “I’m fine,” I convinced myself as I put on makeup to hide my tired complexion. “I’m fine,” I repeated as I went out despite having little energy. “I’m…
It might be just allergies. It’s probably just a cold. It might be just a little bug. For those who don’t battle chronic illness every day, it’s hard to imagine what an acute illness actually…
“I’m a grenade. And, at some point, I’m going to blow up and I would like to minimize the casualties. Okay?” ― Hazel Grace in the movie The Fault in Our Stars Aggravation, anger, frustration, sadness, hopelessness, bitterness,…
#fitfam #fitness #norestdays #NOEXCUSES. It is hard to get away from the world where social media feeds us with messages of fitness. There was a time in my life when I was consumed with thoughts of exercise and dieting. I learned the…
“Hope is the only thing stronger than fear.” There are many days when I wholeheartedly believe in the power of remaining hopeful. Lately, this has been a struggle for me. There are some days when fear leaves me feeling crippled with anxiety. It’s important when fear seems…
We all have played “the waiting game” at some point in our lives. Those of us with pulmonary hypertension or other chronic illnesses sometimes feel as though we are just pieces in this game. Our pieces are moved around to different surgeries, tests, and…
I have experienced what it’s like having a visible illness for two years. For 24 years, it was invisible. I find myself asking, is it more troubling to receive awkward glances, strange remarks, and have people think I am critically ill when I use…
Five years ago, I would have sat in silence in a doctor’s office as my mom recited my long medical history. Five years ago, I would have felt that my body wasn’t my own. I would have distracted myself from how I felt. I would…
It’s the feeling of dizziness. It’s the fatigue that seems to come out of nowhere, the inability to concentrate on the mindless TV show in front of me and the headache the pulses through me that alerts me that my oxygen levels are low.
Preparing for a new school year looks a lot like countless trips to Target, staying up all hours of the night going through Pinterest ideas, creating laminated posters, developing different behavioral plans, creating a positive behavior program for all students, looking at the upcoming…
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