Bonni Howard | From Dismissal to Diagnosis

As someone who was told my symptoms were “all in my head” for over 40 years, I have so much empathy, compassion, and love in my heart for others who have been through a similar journey. I want to be a voice for people with chronic illness and rare diseases so that they feel more validated and better understood.The Chronically Courageous podcast will be a safe place where people can feel a sense of community and inspiration. The show will also provide resources for living more fully. I’m your host, Bonni Howard, and just like many of you listening to this podcast, I’ve lived with chronic pain and other life-altering symptoms from the time I was a child. I did my best to push through my pain. I became a mom, built a successful career, and led an active life until I could no longer ignore my symptoms. It took over 40 years, but I finally got my diagnoses and have spent the past five years learning to accept, embrace, and live the life I’ve been given with courage, passion, and purpose. My mission is to embrace and uplift those living with chronic illnesses and rare diseases, as well as their loved ones, so that we can all move toward a more fulfilled and happy life. In this first episode, I take the guest seat as my fiancé, David, takes over as host. I did this because I feel it’s important that you understand my journey, and why launching this podcast is so close to my heart. We discuss things such as the emotional toll of having chronic, rare illnesses, the importance of self advocacy, how my career aspirations were affected, and how I intend to use my experience to help others. I experience pain and a variety of other symptoms daily. That said, every moment of pain will have been worth it if I can use my experience to help you to feel supported, heard, validated, and put on a path to living your best life!I look forward to taking this journey with you and I will continue sending you love, happiness, and healing every step of the way.What You’ll Learn:About The Chronically Courageous (0:01)My journey with chronic illness and who this podcast is intended for (3:20)My primary symptoms and the secondary symptoms from lack of validation (10:47)My life now and the challenges of my journey (23:20)The conditions I’ve been diagnosed with (31:00)My perspective on COVID19 and the potential implications of contracting it (35:48)Why strength training is essential with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (43:25)Questions David asks:Why is a zebra the symbol of rare disease? (5:03)When did you start to experience symptoms of your illnesses? (6:15)When did you first feel heard and receive your first diagnosis? (13:44)What led up to that moment of pain you mentioned in the intro? (18:13)Bonni, who are you today? (29:38)Connect with Bonni:[email protected] https://www.facebook.com/bonni.howardhttps://www.instagram.com/thechronicallycourageous/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.