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I am more than just skin. About 5 years ago, I battled with mental ill health. I found myself in a place of darkness. Depression.

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I am not able to tell anyone much about years fourteen and fifteen of my life. Well, not in the way you’d assume.

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She was only eleven years old. She sat in the backseat of her mom’s minivan, embarrassed and sniffling back the tears. She never missed volleyball practice, but today the pain wasexcruciating.

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I remember walking out of the Dermatologist’s office, confused and holding a piece of paper with information and advice on it. One thing on it stood out to me. It was the recommendation of joining support groups.

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I have experienced chronic pain since I can remember. Thankfully, my story isn’t about how I wondered what was wrong for ages, I had worried parents and was diagnosed early.

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As I sit here today, I have been diagnosed with Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS) and can honestly say I have never been happier.

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Living with an autoimmune disease is no easy thing — especially when it impacts your skin.

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My life as a 13-year-old was obsessed with fitting in, crushing hard on boys, and dealing with a mysterious plague of acne that started in my armpits.