Melissa was only 32 when she died.
She was a fantastic nurse – smart, kind & full of love.
At 26, she had a double mastectomy, radiation and chemotherapy for aggressive breast cancer.
At 30, she began seeking help for new symptoms, but answers were elusive.
She was certain she had cancer again and pleaded for help, persistent in her requests for hysterectomy but repeatedly dismissed.
“You might want to have children someday”, they said.
Her problems were invisible – just like she felt.
By the time surgery was finally scheduled, it was too late: Advanced metastatic uterine cancer was diagnosed and she didn’t have long to live.
I’m tired of hearing stories like this.
I have been an invisible woman too.
Have you?
We get lost in the healthcare system and are labeled as vague diagnoses with a poor prognosis. We fight with insurance carriers to get access to the “care” we pay for, and receive little to no education or support. We are seen as “complicated” or “difficult” and become reluctant to ask for help. We are hurried out after appointments feeling lost & belittled after being given lectures and poisonous pills, and we endure painful procedures that create new problems without recourse. Without other options, we press on despite how bad we feel: We disconnect from ourselves to survive & stay in the daily grind – and we just keep getting sicker.
When met with insistence that SOMETHING is wrong, the WHY should be thoroughly investigated & addressed. Instead of “prescribing treatment” based on disjointed information from brief encounters which allow for only ONE “primary complaint”, we should be LISTENING, validating human experiences & looking for connections & SOLUTIONS.
I help women navigate the healthcare system & get BETTER through professional coaching, sharing resources and providing education, flexible support, testing & specific recommendations. We work together to find natural, practical solutions for your problems without creating more. If you are lost, alone & fed up by your healthcare situation, I can help you find your way.
Please reach out & don’t wait to get worse.
You are not invisible.
I’m listening.
❤️
