I’m Kayla, the blue hair, tattooed, metalcore obsessed, creator and author behind this blog. I’m 31 – and have been battling chronic illness for over half of my life. Through the battle of misdiagnosis, trauma, being a military brat and living all over – I feel I’m ready to share my story. Welcome to the tales of being dismissed, chronic illness and navigating life.

I grew up as a dancer. I started dancing when I was 8 years old, with tap & jazz, and slowly grew into hip hop, lyrical and even clogging. This is where my hypermobility was a blessing. I stopped dancing when I was 18, and began life as a University student. I would go to a workshop class here and there, but dance was out of my life.

I graduated from Carleton University in 2017 with my Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Neuroscience and Mental Health. As you can tell, I love the brain and what happens when it isn’t working properly, and understanding the why. I was able to do this – despite being in an abusive relationship for 2 years, away from home for the first time and in the big city with my closest family being a 3 hour drive away. After convocation, in July of 2017, I finally decided to put myself first. I left Ottawa on a plane, with one suitcase, to come back to my parents and move back to New Brunswick. This is where my life truly begins.

I met my now husband in August of 2017. I was on tinder not long after I moved back to New Brunswick, and we connected. The nerdy, more reserved, D&D guy probably did not realize what he had “signed up” for. Our relationship has not always been easy – we took a few month “hiatus” in the beginning. I was looking for freedom and independence, and I knew I was in no place mentally to hold space for a genuine relationship at the time. 

We got married in September of 2022. He proposed in his usual awkward fashion on my father’s birthday in June of 2020, we always say “if we can survive lockdown and not chew our heads off – I think this is the real deal”. The positive COVID-19 test a week prior should have been warning enough, as I did end up with a mild concussion that night.

In my pursuit, I’ve consulted a cardiologist, rheumatologist, and most recently an endocrinologist (again). Dismissed by cardiologist, misdiagnosed and dismissed by rheumatologist, and being a “too complex case” for my endocrinologist. I’ve since been diagnosed with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, “hypermobility fibromyalgia” which I believe is a lazy term for hypermobility spectrum disorder, with now suspected Hashimoto’s to go along with the Graves’ Disease.