Lindsay’s story reminds us that care isn’t one thing — it changes with us. Through years of searching for answers, navigating chronic illness, and rediscovering herself, she’s learned how deeply the right moments of care can shape a person’s life.
Keep reading to learn about the experiences that transformed her understanding of care.
The Turning Point in My Journey
When I first got sick and my chronic illnesses started to get bad that was a huge turning point for me. Care went from being something I needed here and there to something that plays a vital role in my everyday life. Good care suddenly meant the difference between being taken seriously & not, getting orders for testing, referrals for specialists, finding a diagnosis or not, getting a treatment plan, and hopefully some relief or not. Once you are forced to rely on care, it shows you how important it is and how much it can affect someone’s quality of life without it.
A Moment of Strength I’ll Never Forget
One memory I would freeze from my journey that showed my strength would be when I formally got my Ehlers Danlos diagnosis after years of fighting for answers. It took so many doctors appointments, ER trips, hospitalizations, testing, referrals, doctors, years of “growing pain” and symptoms to get diagnosed.
It took resilience and strength on my part to not give up for that 20+ years where I was undiagnosed and begging for answers and relief but no one could figure out why or where all of these comorbid conditions were coming from. It was a moment I could give a name and a reason to why I was feeling how I was, and that was a very special moment of validation I will always cherish and be thankful I had the privilege to get.
When Care Finally Felt Human
One time my doctor was reassuring me that there was nothing I did that caused my chronic illnesses, and there was nothing I could have done to prevent it from happening. This was one of the first times I felt heard and cared for not only as just another patient, but as a person with real feelings & emotions. Though they might not have been doing a physical task to help me, he was still helping me and providing me care in a different way that I needed in that moment, emotionally and mentally which is also just as important!
The Kindness That Stayed With Me
One time when I was in the hospital, I had a sitter with me to make sure I was safe as I was not in a good headspace battling depression. I was really struggling and in a dark place when my sitter just smiled at me and asked me a question about my dog I had a picture of. This started a conversation as I started to tell her about my story, and she just listened and supported me.
Her small act of kindness giving me the space to talk, while listening, and sharing her kind words of wisdom & encouragement in a moment I was so down & hopeless, gave me a push to keep fighting. She is the first person who encouraged/inspired me to write my book that I’m working on now, “Growing up a medical mystery”. It really stuck with me how kind she was and how much of an impact she had on me in one of my darkest days. A reminder that even little moments of care and kindness can leave a big impact!
A Story That Reminds Me of Who I’ve Become
Getting to model in NYFW for Lady Fines Adaptive Fashion was a core memory and changing point in my life I will never forget. It reminded me who I am - a girly girl who loves makeup and fashion, but I had lost that love when I first got sick & started needing medical devices & mobility aids. NYFW was the moment I got my sparkle back and reminded myself that I am so much more than my conditions and that little me would be proud of how far I’ve come thus far.
It reminded me that I can still achieve my goals and dreams as a disabled model with medical devices, a service dog, mobility aids, and invisible disabilities- even if it looks a little different than what I had expected!
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