Jennifer Reeves
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Jasmine “Ivanna” Espy’s New Documentary On Hidradenitis Suppurativa Shows Life For Black Women Facing HS
At the center of her life, Jasmine “Ivanna” Espy is a storyteller. Whether she’s writing poetry or directing film, Espy’s dream is not only to share the experience of being human, but to inspire others to share their stories, too. Her new documentary, “My Gold Lining: A Documentary on Hidradenitis Suppurativa,” depicts life for two black…
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This Entrepreneur Founded An Auto-Inflammatory Skincare Line After Her Partner Was Diagnosed With HS
Though you’ve probably come across many people who have been supportive and loving partners to those struggling with chronic illnesses, you might not have come across Anjel Marii. As the President and CEO of The Mama Au Inc., Anjel created a line of natural skincare products to help people who suffer with HS. Her partner,…
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Pooja Parikh Traveled Across The World For The HS Diagnosis That Changed Her Life Forever
“I sometimes think back to that moment and of how blissfully unaware I was of what the next decade would look like for me,” Pooja Parikh, an Oklahoma City local and years-long HS sufferer shares, recalling the first flare up that really sidelined her back in 2008. Though her symptoms peaked prior to her seeking…
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How Bec Hansen Is Using Her Platform To Promote Endometriosis Awareness
“One minute I was serving customers and making smoothies and the next I was lying on the floor crying from the pain.” For Bec Hansen, a photographer from Brisbane, Australia, being diagnosed with Endometriosis didn’t quite come as a surprise — but that doesn’t mean it didn’t sideline her life. For years, Bec believes her…
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Laverne Cox Says Her Work As An HIV+ Advocate Is About “Celebrating Everyone’s Humanity”
Laverne Cox has spent her life breaking through barriers. Now, she wants to help break another: the stigma and misunderstanding surrounding the HIV+ community. Like so many people, Laverne’s first experiences with being a Poz individual were not necessarily positive. Growing up in the 80s, she recalls the heavily stigmatized lens through which most of…
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5 Organizations Supporting The Poz Community That You Can Donate To This Year
It’s that time of year again: gifts abound, families and friends reunite, and we all begin to contemplate the ways in which we might be able to give back to our communities. Though there are so many well-known organizations helping the underprivileged amongst us, there are others that are more niche, specifically aiming to support…
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Hernando Umana Wants Every HIV+ Person To Know That Life Doesn’t End At A Diagnosis
“The first words out of my mouth were: ‘How long do I have to live?’ That’s how uneducated I was.” Hernando Umana had been seeing tremendous personal and professional success since he was a child. Beginning with roles on Univision (Spanish TV shows) and then transitioning into an actor for the Broadway and National tours…
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How Entrepreneur Suzanne Moloney Created A Revolutionary Product To Help Fellow HS Sufferers
Sometimes, it’s our own personal battles that inspire our greatest successes. In the case of Suzanne Moloney, it was her own Hidradenitis Suppurativa diagnosis that led her to create HidraWear, which are dressings specifically designed for people with HS. Throughout her journey, Suzanne has found her own strength in trying to help others along the way,…
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Asia Sullivan Specializes In HIV+ Healthcare, And Wants To Change The Way You Think About Being Poz
After growing up in the Deep South, Asia Sullivan found her calling in healthcare, specifically for the LGBTQ+ community, and those with HIV. As a physician assistant, she cares for many poz patients, a passion that she discovered while studying public health in college, and performing research in Jamaica. For Asia, healthcare for the HIV+…
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Jahlove Serrano Is An HIV+ Educator Whose Grassroots Activism Is Destroying The Shame Of Being Poz
When Jahlove Serrano was 16-years-old, he lost his virginity, and gained a diagnosis. Growing up in New York, Serrano said that condoms were “never a thought” when it came to safe sex practices. “The sexual education that was taught in my high school was so heterosexual-based, when it came to sex with the same gender,…
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Living Well With Endometriosis: A Q&A With This EndoLife’s Jessica Duffin On What She’s Learned
When she realized how little information was available for holistic or alternative methods of treating Endometriosis, London-based writer and podcaster Jessica Duffin decided to make a media brand of her own. Today, Duffin runs This EndoLife, a blog and podcast that helps others live well with Endometriosis. She is currently hosting coaching workshops and retreats,…
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Why Jordanna Tucker Is No Longer Allowing Endometriosis To Define Her Life
For Jordanna Tucker, her Endometriosis diagnosis was as most women’s is: “drawn out and well overdue.” The 26-year-old Queensland native is now a graphic designer, and has put a lot of her skills to use on social media, where she coaches and inspires women around the globe to live their best lives — chronic illness…
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How Hayley Ray’s Lifelong Struggle With Endometriosis Led Her To Coach Other Women Through Invisible Illnesses
For Hayley Ray, the first symptoms of Endometriosis started innocuously enough. By 12 or 13-years-old, she was experiencing increased bleeding during periods, clots, and cramping in her abdomen. Eventually, it evolved into headaches that would sideline her for weeks at a time. “I’d miss time from school, social gatherings and events due to unbearable pain…
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Hanna Smith Wants To End The HS Stigma, So She’s Advocating For Early Diagnosis And Intervention
This is one personal story of being affected by Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS). If you or anyone you know would like to share your experience, please contact tellmystory@thoughtcatalog.com. This article is not intended to give medical advice or information, and if you or someone you know is struggling with HS, please seek out available resources or…
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How Dimitri Joseph Moïse Turned An HIV+ Diagnosis Into His Life’s Purpose To Advocate And Raise Awareness
“Are you gonna tell him, or should I?” Those were the words Dimitri Joseph Moïse heard outside a room in his doctor’s office, where he sat waiting to hear whether or not his HIV test was positive. I saw my life flash before my eyes,” he said. “I heard the voices of my past, those…
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Endometriosis Stages: Minimal, Mild, Moderate & Severe, What To Expect With Each
Endometriosis is a medical condition that occurs when the lining of the uterus — the endometrium — grows outside of the uterus. Growth can occur anywhere in the abdominal region and even elsewhere, but predominantly appears on the fallopian tubes, ovaries, and pelvis. Eventually, the lining breaks down — as it would do in the…
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Endometriosis Awareness: Symptoms, Treatment & What To Do If You Might Have It
When it comes to endometriosis awareness, there aren’t quite enough people speaking out about what’s an increasingly common disorder that can cause a lot of discomfort and reduction in one’s quality of life. Endometriosis is, in short, a disorder in which tissue that is supposed to line the uterus actually grows outside of it, creating…
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“I Refuse To Be Unproductive:” How Penny White Took An HS Diagnosis & Made It Her Life’s Purpose
This is one personal story of being affected by Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS). If you or anyone you know would like to share your experience, please contact tellmystory@thoughtcatalog.com. This article is not intended to give medical advice or information, and if you or someone you know is struggling with HS, please seek out available resources or…