IGNITE – The impact and importance of listening
Kera has been seeking information and making tough decisions from a young age. She was just 10 years old when she, with support from her Mom and Dad, made the choice to use nutritional therapy to treat and manage Crohn’s disease after surgery. Her path to emergent surgery, and ultimately her diagnosis, was long and paved with painful symptoms and emotional trauma. Some adults dismissed her pain as “normal” or even lies. In her deeply honest >” rel=”noopener” href=”https://www.improvecarenow.org/tags/_ignitetalk” target=”_blank”>#ignitetalk, Kera reminded us that life is full of inflection points…the moment a stomach bug morphed into chronic pain, the moment her pain was validated and she learned she had Crohn’s, the moment her care providers really listened and answered her questions, the moment she realized that succeeding at nutritional therapy helped her physical health but exacted a huge toll on her mental health, the moment it became clear her issues with body image and eating were not safe or healthy, the moment she discovered the Patient Advisory Council and people who she didn’t have to ‘downplay her trauma around‘, the moment (which came just before she took the podium at #ICNCC23F) when her PAC co-chair, Shira, told her that she is allowed to take up space.
If reading about or listening to real experiences with eating disorders and/or body dysmorphia does not serve you, please protect your own mental well-being by skipping this post and video.
