Black and Blue Ribbons
— Karen Del Vecchio

I’m certain I don’t have to tell anyone reading this column that having Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) means overcoming a lot of hurdles and other negative things. These include chronic pain, fatigue, ease of…

As is common for someone with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), I’ve done plenty of physical therapy (PT). After my diagnosis at 22, I was referred to PT to work on many long-standing problems that…

I love the holidays, especially Christmas. This year is certainly different in just about every way, except for one: If anything, I think we all need more holiday cheer to shine some light during…

Last week, I had another follow-up appointment for my finger. In late September, I had surgery to repair a badly broken right ring finger from a freak accident. It was a dislocated spiral…

Being back to work at school after the holiday is both exciting and a little depressing. I mostly did farm work while I was off. One of the most refreshing things about doing farm…

This year has hardly been traditional. Among the most obvious evidence of that has been COVID-19’s effect on schools. I’m a college counselor who helps high school juniors and seniors figure out their next…

The past few weeks have been a crazy whirlwind. I’m looking forward to Thanksgiving, even though it’s certainly going to be very different this year. With COVID-19 spiking, people struggling, and necessary social…

It’s been seven weeks since I badly broke my right ring finger. Last Monday, I went in for a follow-up appointment with my surgeon. My physical therapist and I have been working on…

People in the rare disease community experience a variety of syndromes that vary in both severity and how they affect people. Some aspects of rare diseases are universal, while others are unique to each…

I’m exhausted. I feel like I say that a lot, but it’s true. I’m physically tired, both from going nonstop and from being sore due to falling off my horse Cherry. I’m emotionally tired…

Every day I’m incredibly thankful to be able to see a fantastic massage therapist on a regular basis. People often don’t understand how Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), which causes loose tendons and ligaments, leads to…

A few weeks ago I was pretty happy to hear that because my finger injury was a break in the bone, my Eherls-Danlos syndrome (EDS) likely wouldn’t significantly impede my recovery. For the actual…