Hey everyone! My name’s Mallory, and I’m a chronic illness warrior. The illness I’m fighting is called Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, or PoTS for short. PoTS is a type of dysautonomia that messes with the blood flow in my body and causes a bunch of annoying symptoms for me like fatigue, dizziness, heart racing, and more.
Dealing with Chronic Illness as a Teenager
Dealing with an illness as a teenager is something I never thought I’d have to face as a kid. I always imagined my high school years would be the best years of my life. But instead, I often find myself struggling. My chronic illness has impacted a lot of big parts of my life, including school. I had to drop out of school five years ago and switch to homeschooling because I just couldn’t handle how bad I felt at school every single day.
How It Affects Friendships
It’s hard for me because I don’t get to see my friends as much anymore and even lost some friendships. As my illness got worse over the last year and a half, a lot of my friends just forgot about me after I left school, or they helped for a while but eventually got "tired" of being there for me during tough times.
Support and Finding New Friendships
That said, I still have some amazing people in my life who support me. I’ve also made friends in the chronic illness community, and I know for sure that many of these bonds will last a lifetime. One of my main goals in life now is to spread awareness for others dealing with chronic illness. I want to be someone people can talk to or rely on when they’re going through hard times.
Things Do Get Better
The most important thing to know is that things do get better. It might not feel like it right now, but there’s so much to live for. As a Catholic Christian, I believe God gave me this illness for a reason. I feel like my purpose is to use my struggles to help others through their own. I’m a warrior, and please never forget—you are too.
Learn More About My Journey
If you’re interested in learning more about PoTS or my life, feel free to check out my YouTube or Instagram!