06/10/2025
My journey began in 1978, conceived and born at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. For my first two years, I unknowingly absorbed a silent poison. The water my family and I drank, cooked with, and bathed in was heavily contaminated. This wasn't minor pollution; it was a deadly cocktail of chemicals like Tetrachloroethylene (PCE), Trichloroethylene (TCE), Benzene, and Vinyl Chloride, alongside 70 other toxins. Environmental studies later found levels up to 280 times higher than EPA safety standards. This profound early exposure is the undeniable root of the extensive, debilitating health issues that have plagued my entire life. From childhood, I've battled chronic infections and joint disorders. As an adult, my body has been under constant siege: multiple cardiac events and alarming arrhythmias, widespread and debilitating chronic pain from severe degenerative disc disease, scoliosis, and osteoarthritis. I've endured two complex spine surgeries, yet pain and severely limited mobility persist, requiring a cane or walker just to move a few feet. Beyond physical agony, I've fought cervical and uterine cancer, polycystic ovarian disease, and multiple miscarriages. Since late 2024, terrifying neurological and circulatory degradation has set in, with severe chronic edema, loss of feeling in my left foot, and my right hand turning blue. PTSD and anxiety are constant companions, expertly managed by my vital service dog. My health forced me to resign from my government job in April 2024. By May, we lost our home. Since August 2024, my husband, our service dog, and I have been homeless, living in our failing car in Ashland, Kentucky. We face constant harassment, triggering my PTSD, and despite my profound disabilities, I've been denied benefits twice. This isn't just my story; it's a stark reality of complex, chronic illness and the silent, exhausting fight so many of us face, desperately seeking understanding and a hand up.
