Fourteen was an extremely difficult age to be diagnosed with chronic illness because there were already so many other changes occurring in my body. At that age, we are all trying to fit in and be accepted by our peers. I was still in my first few months of high school, trying to find my...

Although post-traumatic stress is a harsh reality thousands of people live with, I always thought of it as something that people experienced after facing a severe event. Little did I know how deeply it could impact people living their ordinary lives, just like myself.  ...

When I was 15 years old, I was diagnosed with severe ulcerative colitis. Twelve days later, I underwent surgery to remove most of my large intestine. I woke up from surgery having lost most of my colon (and gained an ileostomy), a month of my sophomore year, and a lot of self-confidence...