From Misdiagnosed and Dismissed to Reclaiming Her Voice: Deborah Weed's Medical Trauma Story

Have you ever been dismissed by a doctor, told your pain wasn't real, or watched the people you love begin to doubt you? You are not alone — and this episode is for you.Sarah sits down with Deborah Weed, founder of the Self Worth Initiative, author, artist, and creator of the upcoming musical Paisley: The Fashion Forest — a story born directly out of her own experience with medical trauma. Deborah spent three excruciating years bedridden, told by doctors she might have MS or ALS, and ultimately dismissed as making it all up. All while a grapefruit-sized tumor hidden behind her uterus was slowly hemorrhaging her body to near death.What Deborah discovered on that journey, about self-worth, the difference between self-esteem and self-worth, and the healing power of creativity, is something every survivor of medical trauma needs to hear.In this episode, you will hear:What it felt like to be disbelieved by doctors and by the people closest to herThe difference between self-esteem and self-worth, and why losing one does not mean losing the otherHow gadolinium poisoning and a mismanaged black-box antibiotic added to her medical traumaWhy she believes creativity is what saved her life — not once, but three timesThe Broadway-bound musical she is building as a movement for women who have lost their voiceSarah's vision for a peer support certification program so no one ever faces a medical procedure aloneWhether you are healing from a misdiagnosis, navigating a mystery illness, supporting a loved one, or working in healthcare, this conversation will remind you: your quills grow back. So does your power.Connect with Deborah: paisleysfashionforest.comKeywords: medical trauma, misdiagnosis, dismissed by doctors, chronic illness support, medical PTSD, self-worth, mystery illness, long COVID, rare disease, reclaiming your voice, women's health, gadolinium poisoning, peer support