An avid equestrian and educator, Karen has been a columnist at BioNews — the publisher of this site — since 2019. She was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome in 2009 after years of searching for a diagnosis that explained her symptoms. Karen enjoys working with her students, riding and caring for her two horses (Cherry and Spotty), and connecting with others in the rare disease community through her writing.
Summer and fall have been a nonstop whirlwind. A few weeks after graduation (I work as a college counselor at a private high school), the owner of the farm where I live had major knee surgery. That put me on farm duty for several months. My brother got married. And…
In the equestrian sport of eventing, we use a lot of gear. One piece of that puzzle is the safety gear we wear, particularly in the cross-country phase, where we jump solid obstacles in open fields or in the woods. Anytime a horse and rider are out on cross-country, riders…
Recently, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) made news headlines. That doesn’t happen often. Actress Lena Dunham announced that she has EDS in response to questions about a photo of her using a mobility aid. While I’d heard her name, I knew little about the actress, but I want to give her…
I’ve previously discussed how having Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) means that I often have to take side roads to reach my goals or engage in activities I enjoy. While I used to find that immensely frustrating, I now view it as another challenge to face head-on. In my work with…
Generally speaking, showing my horse is great. The shows are exhausting, but they are so much fun that I do them anyway. A recent show was no different. Even though riding is an individual sport, team members all support one another.
It turns out the crazy busy week paid off. I spent last weekend at a horse show in North Carolina, and Cherry and I had an amazing time! It was our first time showing at the Beginner Novice level, where the jumps are a maximum height of 2 feet…
Fall in the college counseling profession is like running the proverbial rat race. There simply aren’t enough hours in the day for the amount of work that needs to be done. Students procrastinate and need help at the last minute. Students who don’t…
I’ve made a lot of progress in learning how to manage Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), but I still experience pain flares. My most recent flare improved dramatically after a massage. I was mostly back to normal (at least my version of normal), but then I went to a conference. I…
The past few weeks have been a total whirlwind. I’m a college counselor at a local high school, so September and October are the busiest months for me. They lead up to Nov. 1, which is a major college application deadline. I’m slammed with work and also trying to train…
Life never seems to slow down. Every time I think I have time to take a breath and catch up around the house (you know, cleaning, laundry, dishes …), it’s bedtime and I still have a long list of uncompleted chores. That used to cause…
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