An invisible illness, resilience, and&nbsp;PTG (<a href="https://choicemd.com/blog/a-story-of-post-traumatic-growth" target="_blank">post-traumatic growth</a>) are some of the many stories that we shared. Illnesses can in fact change you, but they don’t have to define you.I often wonder&nbsp;what events have contributed to an individual’s resilience.&nbsp;Resilience is, after all,&nbsp;the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.&nbsp;In my opinion, it’s a learned trait. Having gone through my own health complications at a young age has really taught me to have a deep appreciation for those who are able to recover at a faster rate. When I was first diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, I wallowed in my depression for years, before I realized not much had changed. Talk about wasted time!Today, I want to talk about Leilani Pearl. A wife and champion for Parkinson’s, as she is the&nbsp;Senior Vice President Chief Communications Officer&nbsp;for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.parkinson.org/" target="_blank">The Parkinson’s Foundation</a>. Not only is she also a brain tumor survivor, but a dear friend.&nbsp;She is actually one of the first people I met when I moved to Miami and I’ve always appreciated her down-to-earth demeanor. After&nbsp;reconnecting during the pandemic over her health struggles, I have learned a lot about a whole new set of traits to appreciate and love.&nbsp;Resilience, determination, and positivity are some to name a few.<img src="https://images.sitesails.com/1/original/94ecc5fc-5641-4734-941e-c34874a2dc2e-MicrosoftTeams-image_(40).png">Leilani shared with me that she was diagnosed with a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.uptodate.com/contents/hemangioblastoma#:~:text=Hemangioblastomas%20are%20uncommon%2C%20slow%2Dgrowing,the%20posterior%20fossa%20in%20adults." target="_blank">hemangioblastoma</a>, a brain tumor in the cerebellum part of her brain, at the early start of the pandemic in 2020.&nbsp;A hemangioblastoma is benign or non-cancerous, however, it can press on the brain and cause neurological symptoms. This can lead to headaches, weakness, sensory loss, balance and coordination problems, and/or hydrocephalus (a buildup of spinal fluid in the brain).<img src="https://images.sitesails.com/1/original/207987ed-9446-4868-bf58-8088096d2b51-MicrosoftTeams-image_(39).png">I, along with the rest of the nation, was terrified to step foot into a hospital for fear of catching <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html" target="_blank">COVID </a>in March of 2020 and she was having brain surgery, multiple times. Imagine that? For those who are unfamiliar with the anatomy of the brain, the cerebellum controls one’s posture, balance, coordination, and speech.&nbsp;No one knew&nbsp;exactly&nbsp;what her recovery would look like, but that alone sounded&nbsp;like she would have to relearn a lot. To top it off,&nbsp;most of the time she spent in the hospital was spent either alone or only with her husband, as visits to hospitals were not allowed at the time.<img src="https://images.sitesails.com/1/original/1722f557-0fcc-4ec7-b538-7c5b5abc7403-MicrosoftTeams-image_(38).png">We all have&nbsp;two options when faced with adversity. Taking the positive road and making&nbsp;the best out of what&nbsp;we’re dealt with or accepting loss&nbsp;and wallow in our sorrows. Sometimes the road to recovery involves both, or maybe it doesn’t. The point is, recovery is subjective and I am simply astonished by Leilani’s path to recovery. She has managed to stay steadfast in her physical recovery all&nbsp;while keeping a positive attitude.&nbsp;I’m not saying it has been easy or that it’s&nbsp;over,&nbsp;as we also recently discussed the unknowns of traveling for the first time after having a metal plate inserted. Will it go off in the metal detector? Will it feel&nbsp;different from the pressure of the plane? I’m sure there are many more questions she is going to have to answer throughout her recovery process, but I couldn’t be more proud of who she is.&nbsp;<img src="https://images.sitesails.com/1/original/80f8bfe1-7306-4ac6-9fbb-4f70dd5c752a-MicrosoftTeams-image_(36).png">When I asked what has helped most in her recovery process, she shared with me that aside from the support of her family and medical staff, what helped most through the recovery process was setting small goals each day that incrementally grew. For example, today she would walk around the condo, tomorrow she would walk around the condo five times…one mile, etc. It was important for her to see progress each day until the days became months and then she could see how far she had come. She is now up to walking three miles everyday! I share this story because&nbsp;these are the types of stories that need to be immortalized in cyberspace. She&nbsp;will forever live with an invisible illness that she overcame during a worldwide pandemic. Her mental strength is unparalleled.<img src="https://images.sitesails.com/1/original/39a9d05a-111a-4abe-aac6-45ed44a6694f-MicrosoftTeams-image_(37).png">

The Story of a Resilient Brain Tumor Survivor, and Dear Friend

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We’re coming to the end of Disability Pride Month and I’ve deliberated the vast majority of the month over what angle I would share. Truth be told, I am extremely proud of every scar I’ve earned living with Multiple Sclerosis for the past 21 years but that’s kind of all I have to show for my disability. I’d imagine it’s an issue many with an invisible illness share. That said, scars are just the lasting effect of whatever trauma our bodies have been through and how boring would it be to snap shots of all my old scars? Of course, as kismet would have it, just over the past week I have had a series of unfortunate events that have caused a whole new set of scars. Normally, I just move on in life dawning scars and bruises, mostly on my legs, that I can never figure out where I have gotten them from. This time they were too memorable to forget so I’ll give you a peek into my life. <img src="https://images.sitesails.com/1/original/8645bc5b-68ce-48e6-a56d-99d49e24e5dd-20210726_125549.jpg">The first accident was minor and happened when I was going up the stairs. My left foot has a significant lag to it because it feels like I am dragging a bag of wet sand with it. Going up the stairs can sometimes be challenging and this time, as I was walking up, my left foot just clipped the step causing my right shin to come crashing into the next step. As I am bandaging up my right leg, I made the observation of how it really has suffered at the expense of my left leg. My little Amelie and her sweet heart came up with solution and of course I am more than ok with her graffiti on my stairs. Her plan was to get me to use my left leg on the steps with an “A”.<img src="https://images.sitesails.com/1/original/149a7b5c-1118-4a2c-8a68-384a5f1e8ca7-20210721_143317.jpg">Of course, that plan backfired two days later when my left leg collapsed going down the stairs. WOAH - that was an awful experience!! Not one but two of my problems presented themselves at the same time. My left leg collapsed and my arms did not respond fast enough to stop me. I practically slid down the stairs riding ON my left foot – that accident may have made up for the comment of my right leg ALWAYS suffering at the expense of my left leg.Last but not least, as if to slap me in the face (literally) the third accident left me with a tiny scar and a heck of a story to share – so why not? My 7-year-old daughter and I were playing a really fun game. We had a helium balloon and the string had come off of it so we were smacking it back and forth – kind of like reverse volleyball. Obviously, the balloon had gotten away from us a couple of times and we had to pull out the chair to bring it down. Well, I started to get over-confident, and we were having fun so I figured I would try to jump to get it down. It worked once but I should have never tried again!! I really can’t even tell you how I fell. I just know my head hit before my feet and it’s been 4 days and I still feel like I’ve been hit by a bus. My sweet Amelie was again the most thoughtful as she immediately brought me a get-well card as I sat with an ice pack on my nose.<img src="https://images.sitesails.com/1/original/dc139fab-dfff-4826-a84b-8b7136baf1d3-20210725_210233.jpg">That said, invisible illnesses are unique to each individual so we really don’t have others we can fully identify with, but it definitely helps to talk to others and share stories. MS can affect any part of my brain or spinal cord, just like others with MS. Where and how aggressively it will be is the unknown and what gets affected makes EVERY case unique. Connect with others going through the same problems, you never know what valuable information they may have to offer.

Proud of my Scars Always, and During Disability Pride Month

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My family and a few friends recently participated in a beach clean-up on Miami Beach in celebration of <a href="https://worldoceanday.org/" target="_blank">World Ocean Day</a>. It was a weekend long family event planned between <a href="https://bluescholars.org/#:~:text=The%20mission%20of%20Blue%20Scholars,to%20achieve%20four%20guiding%20principles." target="_blank">The Blue Scholars Initiative</a>, <a href="https://www.faenaart.org/" target="_blank">Faena Art</a> and <a href="https://www.artsail.info/about" target="_blank">ARTsail</a>. On the day we arrived, the focus was on a beach paddle out and the cleanup. I was able to participate in the paddle out as we were on kayak but when it came to the clean-up, I had to sit it out because of the difficulties of navigating a beach with MS. The clean-up took hours and I patiently sat there waiting for my group to return.<img src="https://images.sitesails.com/1/original/54c4fb2c-97ca-4df1-b8b6-581957f8a75c-WhatsApp_Image_2021-06-12_at_12.18.23_PM.jpeg">That’s why initially, this picture left me feeling like a fraud. To be completely transparent, I didn’t help pick up ANY trash at the event, so I didn’t feel like I belonged in the picture. However, when it came time to snap the picture, I was the only one from my group of eight that was around to represent. So naturally, when they rounded up people from the event I hobbled over. I spent a lot of time debating whether or not I wanted to publish this image because of my feelings. The more I thought about it, the more validated I felt in sharing this image and my thoughts.You see, going to the beach is one of the hardest things for me to do. I absolutely love it and I never want to leave but I also respect my body as <a href="https://choicemd.com/blog/Adaptive%20Sports%20for%20Those%20Who%20Can't%20Bear%20Heat%20and%20Humidity" target="_blank">heat is the single most difficult challenge I face</a>. I guess in simple terms the <a href="https://www.nationalmssociety.org/Living-Well-With-MS/Diet-Exercise-Healthy-Behaviors/Heat-Temperature-Sensitivity?s_src=AODonate-hom-don-cpc&amp;s_subsrc=adwords-multisize-web-AODonate&amp;utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;utm_campaign=AODonate-hom-don&amp;utm_content=multisize-web-AODonate&amp;mrkgadid=1&amp;mrkgcl=1041&amp;mrkgen=&amp;mrkgbflag=&amp;mrkgcat=&amp;acctid=21700000001680367&amp;dskeywordid=39700062664345244&amp;lid=39700062664345244&amp;ds_s_kwgid=58700006957920667&amp;device=c&amp;network=g&amp;matchtype=b&amp;locationid=9011912&amp;creative=511279138227&amp;targetid=dsa-1210434119936&amp;campaignid=12658268301&amp;adgroupid=118602532685&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjwxJqHBhC4ARIsAChq4asN-ZtV-vGGPpYfKuVa_hc3vZi2I8EKCZ9r30kkeMj5H6fmCH_cungaAq_lEALw_wcB&amp;gclsrc=aw.ds" target="_blank">heat makes it much more difficult for messages to get from my brain to everywhere throughout my body</a>. Walking, talking, making it to the bathroom, even just remembering where I parked could become an impossible task if I am in the heat for too long.That said, I helped round up my group of eight and I sat there for five hours so they could help pick up 570 pounds of trash that day. They would have never felt the liberty to leave their things unattended for five hours while picking up trash and enjoying the waves. Once that thought sank in, I realized not only did I deserve to sit in on that picture, but I also felt empowered to share that every individual contributes in society in their own way. The contributions of the disabled population may look different, but they are as important as any other individual.<img src="https://images.sitesails.com/1/original/1f10abc3-53fc-4681-949f-91ee833f2daa-WhatsApp_Image_2021-06-12_at_12.17.53_PM.jpeg"><img src="https://images.sitesails.com/1/original/89971a37-aea2-48ec-90e5-a9f44bcf9cad-IMG-20210616-WA0003.jpg"><img src="https://images.sitesails.com/1/original/755596c9-b5a5-4376-8efc-f9605951178c-WhatsApp_Image_2021-06-12_at_12.11.11_PM.jpeg">

Every Individual Contributes to Society in their Own Way

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“Adverse childhood experiences are the single greatest un-addressed public health threat facing our nation today” Robert W. Block, MD, FAAP, is a past president of the American Academy of Pediatrics.<img src="https://images.sitesails.com/1/original/de329016-383d-4321-9eaa-035e21570fde-CMD_-_Autism_3.13.21_Blog_Post_(3).png">&nbsp;I came across an interesting&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/nadine_burke_harris_how_childhood_trauma_affects_health_across_a_lifetime" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">TedTalk</a>&nbsp;about a pediatrician explaining how adverse childhood experiences (ACE's) affect health across a lifespan.&nbsp;She grabbed my attention from the very beginning by stating the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/aces/index.html" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">CDC&nbsp;</a>and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/aces/about.html" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">Keiser Permanente</a>&nbsp;in the mid 90’s discovered exposure to childhood trauma “dramatically increased the risk&nbsp;for seven out of 10 of the leading causes of death in the United States.&nbsp;In high doses, it affects brain development,&nbsp;the immune system, hormonal systems,&nbsp;and even the way our DNA is read and transcribed.&nbsp;Folks who are exposed in very high doses&nbsp;have triple the lifetime risk of heart disease and lung cancer&nbsp;and a 20-year difference in life expectancy.”She goes on to talk about how exposure to&nbsp;<a href="https://choicemd.com/health-news/public-health-concern-adverse-childhood-experiences-ac-es" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">adversity affects the growth of brains in children</a>&nbsp;eventually leading them to make poor decisions because there are real neurologic reasons&nbsp;why individuals exposed to high doses of adversity&nbsp;are more likely to engage in high-risk behavior.Everything she was talking about made me think of our <a href="https://choicemd.com/blog/my-solution-to-educating-my-child-during-covid-19" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">pandemic kids</a>. Sure, some kids, like my own Amelie, have thrived during this time. I recognized very early on the challenges and I did my best to ensure her happiness but I could write a whole other article on that topic. However, this article is for the kids who depended on school lunches, or relied on daily checks at school to make sure there weren’t new bruises from possible abuse. Gosh, for some kids just being isolated at home without social interaction for an entire year is traumatic enough. Point is, so many kids have struggled through this time and it will take patience, resolve, and a community to bind together for the good of our kids.However, it doesn’t all have to be bleak information, because we know that we can counteract some of these traumas through support programs. Which brings me to my next point. How do we find, help and monitor these kids who have had a traumatic year?The solution I propose might be less complicated than you think. The first step would be to incorporate a course that teaches emotional literacy to all kids. Furthermore, we should ask the kids these&nbsp;<a href="https://americanspcc.org/take-the-aces-quiz/" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">10 questions</a>&nbsp;(ACE test) that will be the gateway to treatment. This should be done at the beginning of the school year, in the privacy and safety of school teachers and counselors. Once we find out who these kids are, they get enrolled in programs that will ensure their wellbeing. It almost sounds too simple to work but I strongly believe it can. These support programs already exist through&nbsp;<a href="https://choicemd.com/" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">Our Community Partners</a>. The wheel doesn’t have to be re-invented, we just need a way to direct people to the services that exist in our community and there needs to be financial support going towards these organizations.Since the inception of Choice MD, I wholeheartedly believed that individuals could improve their wellbeing through connections to organizations that would provide them with the knowledge to succeed. I just never imagined Choice MD’s test would be the recovery from year and a half long worldwide pandemic.Lastly, just as&nbsp;<a href="https://centerforyouthwellness.org/translating-aces-science/" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">Dr. Nadine Burke Harris</a>&nbsp;states in her presentation. "When we have the right framework, when we recognize this to be a public health crisis, then we can begin to use the right tool kit to come up with solutions." I assure you that Choice MD working in conjunction with our many partners is that tool kit and I invite you to click on any of our community partners logo from our homepage to find out more.<iframe class="ql-video" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/95ovIJ3dsNk?showinfo=0"></iframe>

Pandemic Effects on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

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I’ve shared in the past how everything we do to support our nonprofit partners is free of charge, because the work they do in the community is immeasurable. What I haven’t talked about is another way in which we support our nonprofit partners, by starting teams and participating in their charity events.<h2><img src="https://images.sitesails.com/1/original/09f2f1cd-fec6-4c17-bf31-8f5e9691dc3e-IMG_3213.JPEG">Supporting Nonprofits</h2>I’ll be honest, the first event left me feeling like <a href="https://time.com/person-of-the-year-2019-greta-thunberg/" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">Greta Thunberg</a> in her initial campaign year. Simply because it was a challenge to incentivize people to participate without a tie to the cause and I felt alone in my efforts. Most people only participate in a fundraiser for a loved one, but I truly believed that we could raise enormous amounts of funds by supporting in numbers. I also knew that <a href="https://www.alz.org/media/documents/alzheimers-facts-and-figures.pdf" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">South Florida</a> has the largest population in the nation of individuals living with <a href="https://www.alz.org/" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">Alzheimer’s</a>, so I really thought it would be easier. Nonprofits do so much for our community, so naturally Choice MD works towards supporting them beyond financial contributions. Showing up and being there for such an important event was imperative.<h2><img src="https://images.sitesails.com/1/original/f40424cf-aa59-4627-9e64-672075c8798b-IMG_3197.JPEG">Erase Alzheimer's, Not Memories</h2>My idea was that our team would be open to the community, and if participants raised $100 they would receive a free Choice MD t-shirt. I had dreams of our team getting a special tent at the event, a spot reserved for top fundraisers, and I was hoping to turn our tent into a party with great food and prizes. I was sure that the word would get out and more people would join the following year.&nbsp;I also put a lot of thought into the design of the shirt as it was part of the incentive to joining our team. I hoped it would inspire others to become part of the movement. Raising $100 is an easy feat and I envisioned a sea of participants out there.<h2>Looking Toward the Future</h2>Well, things didn’t turn out that way, hence the reason I felt like Greta Thunberg, but I was surrounded by a few wonderful friends and family and we made a difference while making memories in the process. Albeit it was a tiny contribution, today I can proudly say that our efforts contributed to a <a href="https://choicemd.com/health-news/there-is-new-hope-for-patients-with-alzheimers" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">treatment to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s.</a> We will be out there again supporting our partners soon and when we do, I hope you’ll join us!<img src="https://images.sitesails.com/1/original/89331f27-6020-47be-b441-3d92c85fd4e3-IMG_3224.JPEG">

The Story of a Resilient Brain Tumor Survivor, and Dear Friend

Proud of my Scars Always, and During Disability Pride Month

Every Individual Contributes to Society in their Own Way

Pandemic Effects on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

Alzheimer's Walk - Ways We Help Nonprofit Partners

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