About Me

I'll start by explaining some of my diagnoses. I have Hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (hEDS), a genetic connective tissue disorder which means my body does not properly make and/or absorb protein--primarily collagen. This means I experience dozens of dislocations every day and have developed several comorbidities. This doesn't count the dislocations caused by sacral dysplasia, patellar instability, and shoulder instability. I've developed scoliosis, kyphosis, and lordosis from vertebrae not being relocated. I have several hernias and prolapses. The first prolapse was from a sneeze, the second hernia from rolling over in bed, and the hernias after that from throwing up.  

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Finally, the dysautonomia trio: Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS), and GI dysmotility. Dysautonomia is more or less a given with hEDS, and these three conditions are extremely common in hEDS patients. I don't know anyone who has hEDS "bad enough" to seek a diagnosis who doesn't also have these conditions or an equivalent thereof. I'm also auDHD and have multiple cases of PTSD--medical and child abuse/neglect.

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However (to my own surprise and despite using over 100 EpiPens during the one year course), I managed to complete my MSc Archaeology in 2022. I also own both a powerchair and a motorcycle, using them an equal amount. I'm also an amateur photographer. I was a competitive swimmer growing up, but this stopped due to my joints and allergies. Now, I take every chance I get to swim in open water during the summer. My big project at the moment is writing an academic book comparing ableism in the ancient Mediterranean to ableism in the modern world.