Walking On Water — Shalana Jordan

Life doesn’t get much lonelier than sitting alone in the intensive care unit (ICU) during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, cut off from what was happening outside, yet the only patient on the floor who could move around. I went to the emergency room in September 2020, not feeling…

A perfect storm of events in September 2020 nearly led to my demise. The intensive care unit became my temporary home for almost two months as I was thrust into the world of rare disease, chronic illness, and intense medical care. Diagnosed with an ultra-rare disease called atypical hemolytic…

Here in the United States, obesity is considered a common chronic illness. The World Health Organization defines it as “abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health.” While the obesity rate has been declining since peaking in 2022, 37% of American adults were still considered…

Living with multiple rare and chronic illnesses is stressful, difficult, and complicated. I have four autoimmune disorders and one connective tissue disorder, each of which comes with its own unique set of comorbidities. But the condition that causes the most issues for me is my primary illness, atypical hemolytic…

In the fall of 2020, I experienced a slew of severe symptoms that makes the head spin just thinking about it. These included a 104 F fever, chills, body aches, an upset stomach, a loss of appetite, abnormal physical weakness, deep purple bruising all over my body, an unrelenting migraine,…