Meet warrior, Jenny Jones. Jenny believes persistence is key to living with all the aspects of her two rare, chronic conditions called Familial Adenomatous Polyposis and Short Bowel Syndrome. Diagnosed with FAP as a child, she underwent a total colectomy at age nine. Complications led to six additional surgeries and an eighth surgery to remove her gall bladder. With encouragement from a community FAP page, Jenny started a blog in 2012 called Life’s a Polyp and began openly sharing all aspects of living with her rare conditions. The blog lead her to start a YouTube vlog, write a children’s book called Life’s a Polyp with Zeke and Katie and become an important advocate for her disease. Tune in as Jenny explains how perseverance helped her find the best medical care, be proud of her scars and find her purpose in life. To learn more about Jenny or to support The National Organization for Rare Disorders Familial Adenomatous Polyposis Research Fund, go to her website at https://www.lifesapolyp.com.

Meet warrior, Kale Sastre. Kale is an anthropologist and avid adventurer who grew up being sick a lot, but her family wouldn’t believe her or take her pain seriously. Kale learned to be very independent hiding her symptoms until they worsened. She was later diagnosed with migraine, spine issues, fibromyalgia, depression, anxiety and PTSD, resulting in severe pain, exhaustion, and balance issues. Listen as Kale shares her story, the hardships of managing her chronic conditions essentially by herself and the outlet writing has provided. To read her articles on chronic illness or her published works of fiction, go to her website at https://ksastre.wordpress.com.

Meet warrior, Carolanne Monteleone. Carolanne was a bright-eyed 21-year-old woman when chronic illness struck her life. Carolanne quickly lost huge pieces of her independence having to move back in with her parents and depending on them for help with ER visits, doctor’s appointments, medications, showers and her feeding tube. Eventually diagnosed with many chronic conditions such as gastroparesis, dysautonomia, polycystic ovary syndrome, bile reflux, and chronic fatigue syndrome, Carolanne has dealt with many ups and downs in her health and the ability to care for herself. Listen as Carolanne reveals the impact of losing her independence and how she manages the loss, her mental health and life by writing, advocating, and leaning on her loved ones. To read her published articles, blog and more, go to her website at https://aheartforhumanity.wordpress.com/. You can also follow Carolanne on Instagram @carolannemaria.

Meet warrior, Kat Harrison. Kat is a fierce advocate and writer who lives with chronic, daily migraine, bilateral vestibular loss, oscillopsia, chronic ear disease and a rare headache condition called SUNCT Syndrome. Tune in as Kat shines a realistic light on the everyday decisions the chronically ill face. She'll also share how to increase accessibility and inclusion in the workplace, home and beyond. Kat is the community content producer at the Mighty and the author of the award-winning children’s book Surgery on Sunday, the newly released children’s book, Migraine and Mia and numerous articles for magazines such as Real Simple and digital outlets such as MSN. To learn more about Kat and her writing, go to her website https://www.katwritesforyou.com/.

Meet warrior, Elianna. After fracturing her growth plate in the fifth grade, Elianna was diagnosed with CRPS, fibromyalgia and Oppositional Defiant Disorder and so began her young life living with illness and pain. More diagnoses followed including chronic fatigue syndrome, migraine, chronic hip bursitis and a rare digestive issue called “dumping syndrome.” Tune in as Elianna shares how she managed her illnesses and the medical system at a young age and how she attributes living with chronic illness as a child to being able to cope with the pain she faces today.

Meet warrior Kelly Douglas. Kelly is a mental health and disability advocate, a Contributor Editor for the Mighty and a Senior Editor for Unwritten. Kelly has lived with cerebral palsy since birth and has also experienced intermittent chronic pain for just over a decade. Managing her disability and her pain creates many challenges in her life — especially with her mental health. Listen as Kelly shares her story and reveals how she manages her mental health while trying to explain her pain to her healthy loved ones. To learn more about Kelly Douglas, you can follow her on Instagram @kellychristine333 or on Twitter @kellywrites333.

Continuing our conversation with warrior, Samantha Moss. Listen in as Sam shares more about how she finds acceptance and embraces her new life as a patient advocate, blogger, podcaster, and author, with her biggest passion being her global Facebook support group called, Medical Musings with Friends; now 1,800 members strong. To learn more about Samantha Moss or her new book, you can visit her blog, "My Medical Musings"  https://mymedmusings.com/ or listen to her Podcast, "Medical Musings With Sam" https://anchor.fm/my-medical-musings.

Meet warrior, Samantha Moss. Sam had a successful management career in financial services until 2014, when she had a severe bowel prolapse resulting in a permanent colostomy. Many diagnoses followed including a complex idiopathic Rare Bone Disease and rheumatoid arthritis. Sam constantly struggles with pathological broken bones and a future filled with unpredictability. Tune in to hear Sam’s amazing story of finding acceptance and embracing her new life as a patient advocate, blogger, podcaster, and author, with her biggest passion being her global Facebook support group called, Medical Musings with Friends; now 1,800 members strong. To learn more about       Samantha Moss or her new book, you can visit her blog, "My Medical Musings"  https://mymedmusings.com/ or       listen to her Podcast, "Medical Musings With Sam" https://anchor.fm/my-medical-musings.

Meet warrior, Saramax Guttman. Saramax has been diagnosed with celiac disease, epilepsy, psoriatic arthritis and lupus and has suffered with mental illnesses such as OCD since childhood. Saramax knows firsthand how the healthcare system can view and treat you differently as a woman with a chronic illness. Tune in as she shares her experience and how she promotes awareness on living with chronic illness and supports adults with developmental disabilities as an employment counselor. Read Saramax’s article mentioned in the podcast here: https://themighty.com/2022/05/working-full-time-with-chronic-illness-and-making-choices/. This interview was recorded prior to the overturn of Roe v. Wade.

Meet warrior, Jen. Jen suffers from Functional Neurological Disorder causing severe dizziness, tiredness, migraines, and cognitive issues. Once a tax consultant, Jen is now disabled and feels the impact of her condition in all areas of her life. Listen as Jen explains how she adjusts her everyday life from cooking to running errands around her condition and her small town and how she finds humor where she can.