Advocate

A young girl with a stuffed animal zebra on the right; an illustration of the girl on the right in watercolor style on the left.

Pey Carter and Daughter Abigail Speak About Their EDS Children’s Book 

Pey Carter, a public speaker and author from Eau Claire, WI, and their daughter, Abigail Bailey, have a children’s book about Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome in the works: Bendy Bones and Stretchy Skin: An Ehlers-Danlos Story. In addition, Pey just finished a Kickstarter for an Ehlers-Danlos coloring book and is working on a memoir of their own. […]

Dr. Lilian Holm on EDS & Physical Therapy. Dr. Lilian Holm, a woman with shoulder-long brown hair and bangs, is sitting in her office, which is a large room with a turquoise wall behind her and an open fireplace. She sits on a beige chair and wears a black shirt and a delicate golden necklace. In the background is a treatment bench in the foreground two red flowers.

EDSed Episode 2: Dr. Lilian Holm on Physical Therapy & EDS

EDSed is our new series of full-length interviews with international EDS experts. These educational interview series with journalistic (news) quality is complementary to our webinar recordings and another free resource we provide for our community. All films are produced by journalist and We Are Visible filmmaker Karina Sturm and sponsored by Chronic Pain Partners. You can […]

A black woman with long black hair. She is looking to the side and has beautiful brown eyes and silver earrings.

Advocate Nthabeleng Ramoeli on her EDS journey, EDS care in Lesotho, and why she established an NGO to help all rare disease patients

For our January newsletter, journalist Karina Sturm spoke with rare disease advocate Nthabeleng Ramoeli. Ramoeli was born in Lesotho, a country encircled by South Africa, and lives with Ehlers-Danlos syndromes and many other comorbid conditions. The young woman relentlessly fights for improved access to health care for rare disease patients in her home country and […]

A screenshot from an Instagram account showing a man with a blue hospital gown and a infusion next to him, looking proud at a screen on a wall that says

Mitch Martow on his EDS journey and the documentary Bend or Break

For our January Chronic Pain Partners Post, journalist Karina Sturm spoke with Mitch Martow, an EDS advocate from Toronto, Canada. Martow is best known for being the focus of the 2021 released Canadian EDS documentary Bend or Break. In this interview, you’ll get close to Martow and his humorous side while he shares how he […]

Ryann, a person with short brown hair and a black nursing outfit is sitting in a red wheelchair proudly holding her arm up high with her mouth open. She wears a stethoscope around her neck and several tattoos are visible on her arms.

The Road to Recovery Was Paved By Me and My Wheelchair: Q&A With Ryann Mason

Many people with chronic illnesses, like Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) or other disabling or deteriorating conditions, are often afraid of the possibility of “ending up in a wheelchair.” It is a real fear. But what if we changed our thinking? Wheelchairs provide freedom; they aren’t the end, but empowering and enabling for the user. And sometimes, […]

Anoushé, a woman wearing an athletic sports outfit, with a colorful leggings and a blue shirt. She is barefoot, has tape around her hand and fingers and around the elbow of her missing other arm. She wears a red and beige head scarf and is smiling slightly.

Para climber Anoushé Husain on “believing in the impossible”, her cancer diagnosis, EDS journey, and the sports she loves

For our December newsletter, journalist Karina Sturm interviewed Anoushé Husain. Husain is a civil servant and paraclimber who broke the Guinness Book of World Records for climbing the greatest distance on a climbing wall in one hour, as a female climber with only one hand. She was born with half an arm, has beaten cancer, […]

Brianne, a white woman in her mid-30s wearing black framed glasses and dark brown hair in a messy bun, sits perched on a high stool in a snowy yard holding a cane between her thighs while smiling at the camera with evergreen trees in the background. She’s wearing a light blue bathrobe and a pink scarf, and holds one bare hand up to wave at the camera.”

Chronic Illness Advocate Brianne Benness about her EDS journey and #NEISVoid

For our November newsletter, journalist Karina Sturm interviewed Brianne Benness, the host of No End In Sight, a podcast about life with chronic illness and a chronically ill person’s journey to diagnosis. She is a co-founder of Stories We Don’t Tell, where she talks about hypermobility, mast cell disorders, and recontextualizing old experiences using new […]

Archer Young about navigating health care as a trans man with EDS, transitioning, and studying with a disability

Archer Young For our August newsletter, the Chronic Pain Partners media team interviewed a group of people to highlight the diversity of our community and emphasize the challenges that arise when a person belongs to more than one minority. In this interview, writer Beth Miller speaks with Archer Young, a young trans man with EDS […]