Spotlights
Grace's Story with Celiac Disease
"Celiac Disease comes with a big mental challenge along with the physical aspect."
I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease when I was in first grade. I remember missing a whole month of school as doctors tried to figure out what was wrong with me. Since receiving my diagnosis, it's definitely been a big challenge. For me, Celiac Disease is definitely an emotional and social challenge as well as a physical challenge. I believe that people with Celiac Disease are a lot more likely to develop anxiety because we’re constantly worried about accidentally eating gluten. It can also be "embarrassing" when you're in public to tell people about it, and not eat when everyone else is eating. Also, a lot of people also don't understand what Celiac Disease actually is and dismiss it, so it's a lot of work to explain it. People often just think of it as an allergy, but it's really a serious disease. Celiac Disease comes with a big mental challenge along with the physical aspect. However, I will say that living in Los Angeles is definitely something i'm grateful for because there are a lot of gluten free options compared to some other places. I hope that sometime soon, maybe after hearing my story here, someone finds a cure to Celiac Disease" - Grace T. (16 years old)
Soon-Im's Story with Tuberculosis
My story started with a cough that progressively got worse. I lost a lot of weight during this time. Doctors took x-rays and scans and found a mass in my lungs. I was admitted to the hospital to undergo a biopsy to determine what the mass could be. I was seen by multiple specialists including a pulmonologist, oncologist and an infectious disease specialist. Doctors thought I likely had cancer based on the mass. Surprisingly the final diagnosis was that I had TB. I was grateful that it was not cancer, but I was stunned to have TB. I had not traveled to any country where TB was prevalent and had not been exposed to anyone with TB. I had TB as a young teen. I was medicated and told that I was cured. I never thought it would become active more than 60 years later.
TB requires strict treatment protocol and close monitoring by the government because it is a highly infectious disease. All of my family also had to undergo multiple testing to make sure I did not spread the disease. Fortunately no one else in my family was infected including my husband with whom I lived with full time. I was under quarantine and was not allowed to leave home for nearly four months because my culture would not test negative three times in a row as required to end isolation. I also had to have the county nurse deliver my medication daily and have them watch me take them. Because my culture took so long to test negative my treatment lasted 9 months, during which time I could not travel even when I was no longer considered infectious. While this was a a very difficult time especially for my family, I am grateful to the team of caring doctors who properly diagnosed me and to the LA county public health staff. Having gone through the arduous treatment process, I hope there is a better treatment option for those suffering with TB. 6 to 9 months of treatment and a period of isolation is very difficult for people, especially those who are younger or working." - Soon-Im Y. (81 years old)
"Having gone through the arduous treatment process, I hope there is a better treatment option for those suffering with TB."
Angele's Journey with PCOS
"It takes time to try what is best for your body, and it’s important to think about it as a marathon and not a race."
I've always been very acne prone and I’ve always had irregular periods since I got them but this year it had been 2 years since I hadn’t had them which was the first sign of a hormonal imbalance. I gained a lot of weight all of a sudden in early 2023 and was super depressive and irritated all the time, even with acquiring 12 or more hours of sleep on a daily basis. I didn’t understand myself nor my body, and I saw it change through stretch marks, constant cravings, horrible acne and fatigue. I was so overwhelmed about everything and I didn’t look much into it but I always felt something was off.I went to the gynecologist in September of 2024, and she diagnosed me with polycystic ovaries. She explained to me what most people say about PCOS that it can cause hormonal imbalances, irregular periods, excess androgen levels and cysts in the ovaries. Irregular periods, usually with a lack of ovulation, can make it difficult to become pregnant. PCOS is a leading cause of infertility. When I first heard that I cried, and thought that my life was falling apart and that I could never be 'normal'.
So the first thing she told me was to get on birth control and work out and cut carbs and sugar. I wanted to fix my ovaries not cover them with a birth control. I really wanted to delve deeper into understanding what it was… where it came from. So I did that for a few months, I was loosing some weight, but my symptoms kept coming back. I then wanted to try a more 'natural' approach with Chinese medicine to bring my period back to regular cycles and loose the weight I accumulated. After a couple months I got my period back, but I still had horrible bloating, constant fatigue and always moody.After a couple months I decided to let go of everything and focus on how I was going to move to another country. I thought I was going to stay in a constant battle with myself and my body image. I wouldn’t go out because I felt ugly and bloated all the time. The bloating was so bad I couldn’t fit into any of my clothes and I thought of myself of a monster. When I moved to France I decided to take a drastic change. I went to a hormone specialist, who took an actual blood test and measured everything they needed to know to put me on the right track which is what my previous doctors never did. My cortisol levels and insulin were through the roof, making it impossible for my body to loose the weight. So she prescribed me an extra hormone to compensate for my lack, which is different from a contraceptive pill, and she gave me a medication to lower my insulin resistance. I learn a lot of things about my body every day. I did every diet, every trick, tried every supplement to get rid of my constant discomfort, but after almost a year of fighting and not giving up, I am 20 pounds down, healthy, fertile and living my life at its fullest while being the most comfortable and strong I have ever been, and everyday I learn more and accept more who I am. It takes time to try what is best for your body, and it’s important to think about it as a marathon and not a race. - Angele B. (18 years old)