#BesidesMyDiagnosis

This post contains referral links which means that if you purchase from one of my links, I will receive a small percentage of the sale.  

#BesidesMyDiagnosis is the brainchild of Vanessa from The Girl with Five Lads.  She created it to help those of us with chronic illnesses remember that there's more to us than our disease.  You can find more info on this project here.  You don't have to have a blog to join in-just tweet about yourself outside of your illness using the hashtag #besidesmydiagnosis.

You can see all of the #besidesmydiagnosis blog posts here and check out the hashtag here on Twitter.

1. #besidesmydiagnosis the three things about my appearance that I love in the mirror?

I love my eyes because they're brown just like my dad's.  I've always been a bit of a Daddy's girl :)  I may hate my thick, frizzy, curly, blonde hair somedays, but overall, I like it.  I also love the fact that I recently lost 30+ pounds of baby weight!  I may not be skinny, but I feel good when I look in the mirror. 

Me and my dad a fewish years ago

  

2. #besidesmydiagnosis the things I have read most are?

I LOVE to read so I can't narrow this down to a few specific books.  I love the nonfiction genre, especially books on the Titanic, Romanovs, or the Holocaust.  I also am into dystopian fiction such as The Hunger Games and The Giver.

 

3. #besidesmydiagnosis my favorite comfort foods are?

Pepperoni pizza.  I could seriously eat it every day.  My kids inherited my love for pizza, as evidenced by my son's costume when he was in preschool.
 

 

4. #besidesmydiagnosis my favorite past times are?

I love to sew and even have my own online boutique for children's onesies and shirts with an emphasis on special needs.  I also enjoy making clothes for my kids.  I used to have fun playing my fiddle, but my health has made that difficult.  

My girls wearing dresses I made them

5. #besidesmydiagnosis my biggest accomplishment since illness is?

Ehlers Danlos Syndrome is genetic so I was born with it and have had symptoms my whole life.  I received a diagnosis for it on June 22nd along with my 6 year old son Nano.  In the last few years though things have been getting progressively worse, and I'm at the point now where mobility is starting to become an issue.  Since being diagnosed with EDS though, I've put my passion to raise awareness and help others struggling with special needs, chronic illnesses, or medical issues to good use by starting this blog.  I'm proud of how far it's come in the short time it's been up and am especially amazed with the messages and emails I get from people telling me how much a post or article I've written has helped them.

 

6. #besidesmydiagnosis I feel my best quality is?

My sense of humor.  It's what keeps me going when things get rough and allows me to laugh stuff off. 

 

7. #besidesmydiagnosis my motto/mantra to live by?

This too shall pass.  It doesn't necessarily apply when living with a chronic illness because, let's be honest, it's not going to pass.  BUT, it works for each moment.  It helps remind me to not worry about tomorrow, but focus on today and if today stinks, that's okay, because this too shall pass.  

   

8. #besidesmydiagnosis I would love to travel to?

I would LOVE to go to Italy or back to Germany someday.  I had the opportunity to go to Germany when I was a junior in high school and it was an amazing experience. 

 

9. #besidesmydiagnosis my guilty pleasure is?

Netflix.  I love tv shows and love to binge watch.   

 

10. #besidesmydiagnosis I have many dreams and ambitions such as?

I have a whole Pinterest Board dedicated to my dreams.



Do you have a diagnosis? Join the #besidesmydiagnosis project!