My life was going along great. I had a full-time career teaching that I loved, plus two part-time ones that involved teaching music and leading worship at church. My kids were well and my husband was doing what he loved. We were all extremely busy and fulfilled. But, I began to feel sick — fatigue and pain that cannot be described. I had felt it a few times in the past when for months I could not get out of bed without help. No doctor could ever figure it out. Starting in eighth grade, I'd be given round after round of antibiotics and after being deathly ill for weeks, would slowly recover. It would always take a long, long time to feel my energetic, enthusiastic self again but I always would. Then, for years I could go on as if nothing had ever happened to me. This time, I reacted the same way by pushing myself more and more, hoping I could just "will" myself out of it. But, the last time it didn't work and after feeling "sick" for a year, I finally had a stroke. ...more

October 2, 2007

Melissa Christiano of St. Petersburg is an accomplished artist who works in a variety of media. When the 47-year-old started having breathing problems, she initially blamed it on years of exposure to fumes from the various chemicals used in her craft. ...more

September 20, 2007

2,191 days after that awful morning - falling for the first time on a Tuesday, the same day of the week. ...more

September 2, 2007