I also live with a chronic illness called Postural Orthostatic

Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS). This illness is actually fairly

common but unfortunately, is not yet well known within the

medical community. It took about 15 years for me to get

diagnosed, coupled with a lot of gaslighting from many

medical professionals who told me my symptoms were

psychosomatic and it was very hard to get help. I talk about my illness with the hope I might be able to save someone else from experiencing similar. POTS fits under an umbrella of conditions referred to as Dysautonomia, which, in short, means your bodily systems that are supposed to work on autopilot stop working like they should, which triggers a whole host of problems to put it mildly. POTS is considered a dysregulation of the central nervous system and affects, specifically, heart rate and blood pressure when changing positions, such as going from sitting to standing or laying down to standing, which can cause fainting. I struggle pretty constantly with severe chronic fatigue, brain fog, muscle weakness, dizziness/faintness, and anxiety. But I am also a stubborn person who refuses to let my life be completely dictated by an illness and I work hard to manage my symptoms so that I can continue to achieve my goals, my art business being one of the big ones.