WEBVTT 00:00:19.109 --> 00:00:22.670 Welcome to In the Seams, a podcast by Broken 00:00:22.670 --> 00:00:27.410 and Mended. And now your host, David Heflin. 00:00:30.510 --> 00:00:33.009 Well, hello. I want to welcome you back to In 00:00:33.009 --> 00:00:37.049 the Seams. And I'm excited to have a guest today. 00:00:37.149 --> 00:00:41.109 Her name is Sarah Reed. And Sarah was connected 00:00:41.109 --> 00:00:43.869 to us through Shannon Cramer. And Shannon has 00:00:43.869 --> 00:00:47.609 been on this podcast before. and also was one 00:00:47.609 --> 00:00:50.869 of our conference speakers last fall, which we'll 00:00:50.869 --> 00:00:54.030 be having another virtual conference soon, this 00:00:54.030 --> 00:00:56.229 coming fall, and so there'll be more details 00:00:56.229 --> 00:00:58.850 about that. But anyway, Shannon has been connected 00:00:58.850 --> 00:01:01.229 to this ministry through those ways, and we're 00:01:01.229 --> 00:01:04.310 very glad, Sarah, that she connected you to us. 00:01:04.510 --> 00:01:06.810 We're excited to get to talk to you today and 00:01:06.810 --> 00:01:10.219 just want to welcome you to the show. Well, thank 00:01:10.219 --> 00:01:12.359 you so much. I'm really excited to be on here 00:01:12.359 --> 00:01:14.739 and for the opportunity to share my story, and 00:01:14.739 --> 00:01:16.959 hopefully it'll encourage others who are listening, 00:01:17.159 --> 00:01:19.780 whether shortly after it's recorded or way in 00:01:19.780 --> 00:01:22.750 the future. Yeah, yeah. And I'm sure that it 00:01:22.750 --> 00:01:25.950 will be an encouragement. And I've had an opportunity 00:01:25.950 --> 00:01:30.530 to kind of peruse some of your content on Instagram 00:01:30.530 --> 00:01:33.870 and on YouTube, looked at your podcast a little 00:01:33.870 --> 00:01:36.950 bit. And so we'll talk about all of that, these 00:01:36.950 --> 00:01:38.989 things that you're offering to connect with other 00:01:38.989 --> 00:01:42.159 people. But first of all, let's just learn, if 00:01:42.159 --> 00:01:44.219 we could, a little bit more about you and your 00:01:44.219 --> 00:01:47.239 story. Could you kind of tell us about your health 00:01:47.239 --> 00:01:50.299 journey, kind of when the problem started, and 00:01:50.299 --> 00:01:53.079 what did that eventually result in in terms of 00:01:53.079 --> 00:01:58.319 diagnoses? Yes, so I've actually struggled with 00:01:58.319 --> 00:02:00.700 my health pretty much all of my life and then 00:02:00.700 --> 00:02:03.480 as I've gotten older it kind of Progressed, you 00:02:03.480 --> 00:02:06.140 know each year get a little bit more Certain 00:02:06.140 --> 00:02:08.159 symptoms would show up that seemed you know, 00:02:08.300 --> 00:02:11.719 quote -unquote random, but we now know they weren't 00:02:11.719 --> 00:02:15.699 And so it took many many years of going to specialists 00:02:15.699 --> 00:02:18.919 and doctors for different things And unfortunately, 00:02:18.919 --> 00:02:21.699 they didn't know what they were. So I spent a 00:02:21.699 --> 00:02:25.620 long time not having any diagnosis And then when 00:02:25.620 --> 00:02:30.500 I was 17, I got into the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. 00:02:31.039 --> 00:02:33.419 And I spent about a week there getting different 00:02:33.419 --> 00:02:37.560 tests done and stuff like that. And they finally 00:02:37.560 --> 00:02:41.719 were able to diagnose me with POTS and ME -CFS. 00:02:41.939 --> 00:02:45.979 And then later on, I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. 00:02:47.840 --> 00:02:50.319 hypermobile arthralgia. So it's just kind of 00:02:50.319 --> 00:02:53.740 been a very long journey. I'm 23 now. So just 00:02:53.740 --> 00:02:57.539 trying to figure out how to be 23 with these 00:02:57.539 --> 00:03:00.180 conditions that are for me, unfortunately, can 00:03:00.180 --> 00:03:04.699 be disabling. Okay, thank you. And so you said 00:03:04.699 --> 00:03:08.439 MECFS. Is that what you said a moment ago? Could 00:03:08.439 --> 00:03:12.500 you tell our audience what that stands for and 00:03:12.500 --> 00:03:18.319 what that is? So ME -CFS stands for myologic 00:03:18.319 --> 00:03:21.360 encephalomyelitis. It's a very complicated way 00:03:21.360 --> 00:03:25.240 to say my body doesn't properly give me the energy 00:03:25.240 --> 00:03:27.840 I need always and it can also cause a lot of 00:03:27.840 --> 00:03:31.819 pain along with a lot of other random symptoms 00:03:31.819 --> 00:03:36.819 and stuff and it can be challenging. Some seasons 00:03:36.819 --> 00:03:39.340 it's worse than others, some seasons it's better, 00:03:39.740 --> 00:03:42.020 but I don't always feel as rested. I can feel 00:03:42.020 --> 00:03:46.210 very Fatigued, I can have pain deep in my bones 00:03:46.210 --> 00:03:48.949 because I also have fibromyalgia but that pain 00:03:48.949 --> 00:03:52.710 is a little bit different. Physical exertion, 00:03:52.969 --> 00:03:54.729 things that people wouldn't often think of like 00:03:54.729 --> 00:04:00.110 walking and standing can trigger extra fatigue 00:04:00.110 --> 00:04:03.770 more than just a cup of coffee or a nap can cure, 00:04:03.849 --> 00:04:07.460 although I do take my fair share of naps. Okay. 00:04:07.659 --> 00:04:10.639 Yeah. Thank you for explaining that. And we have 00:04:10.639 --> 00:04:14.139 had people on the show that have had POTS and 00:04:14.139 --> 00:04:17.540 also fibromyalgia. So I think people are a little 00:04:17.540 --> 00:04:20.720 familiar with that, but it's always good, I think, 00:04:20.839 --> 00:04:22.920 for people who don't know to be kind of reminded. 00:04:23.000 --> 00:04:26.040 And so I appreciate you doing that. And it's 00:04:26.040 --> 00:04:28.420 a lot. It's a lot of stuff that you're dealing 00:04:28.420 --> 00:04:31.399 with at a very young age. You said you were 23. 00:04:32.600 --> 00:04:35.720 Obviously, this happens at a really formative 00:04:35.720 --> 00:04:38.459 time in your life. And like you said, all your 00:04:38.459 --> 00:04:40.800 life and then at 17, you get these diagnoses. 00:04:41.060 --> 00:04:45.399 And so I want to just ask how that has really 00:04:45.399 --> 00:04:48.180 impacted the trajectory of your life. Like how 00:04:48.180 --> 00:04:52.339 have these conditions kind of changed the path 00:04:52.339 --> 00:04:54.939 you wanted to go on or had hoped you would be 00:04:54.939 --> 00:04:58.779 able to go on? Oh, my goodness. It's changed 00:04:58.779 --> 00:05:02.939 it in so many ways because We went so long without 00:05:02.939 --> 00:05:05.839 being able to find answers that I just kind of 00:05:05.839 --> 00:05:08.699 assumed one day They would say here's what you 00:05:08.699 --> 00:05:10.920 have. Here's you know, a magic pill and then 00:05:10.920 --> 00:05:13.180 you'll feel better So I had kind of there was 00:05:13.180 --> 00:05:15.139 always that thing in the back of my mind that 00:05:15.139 --> 00:05:18.220 was like eventually I'm going to get Completely 00:05:18.220 --> 00:05:20.240 better and not that that can't happen in the 00:05:20.240 --> 00:05:23.139 future But just as you know a teen, you know, 00:05:23.379 --> 00:05:26.839 I thought that I was going to just one day the 00:05:26.839 --> 00:05:28.899 doctor would be like this is what you have and 00:05:28.899 --> 00:05:30.519 and give me something and I would feel better 00:05:30.519 --> 00:05:34.040 and so I had all these plans of like when I do 00:05:34.040 --> 00:05:36.620 get better this is what I'm gonna do in college 00:05:36.620 --> 00:05:38.699 you know this is what I'm gonna do in my early 00:05:38.699 --> 00:05:41.720 20s and though now to be in my early 20s and 00:05:41.720 --> 00:05:44.339 it looks you know completely different than what 00:05:44.339 --> 00:05:47.019 I thought it would be and I had to you know change 00:05:47.019 --> 00:05:50.720 my life. I can't drive myself so that's very 00:05:50.720 --> 00:05:52.959 different for you know someone who is a young 00:05:52.959 --> 00:05:56.259 adult and I can't work or go to college. But 00:05:56.259 --> 00:05:59.660 I've tried my best to, you know, that still resting 00:05:59.660 --> 00:06:02.860 so much and so much symptom management, but also, 00:06:02.860 --> 00:06:06.399 you know, what can I do where I'm at? And for 00:06:06.399 --> 00:06:09.360 some seasons that's been bed bound and just breathing 00:06:09.360 --> 00:06:12.199 and other seasons that's been, you know, writing 00:06:12.199 --> 00:06:16.519 books or doing social media when I can. So it 00:06:16.519 --> 00:06:18.579 just has to look, you know, different every moment 00:06:18.579 --> 00:06:21.959 and, you know, in every season. Sure. Well, I 00:06:21.959 --> 00:06:24.199 appreciate that perspective. And I think that's 00:06:24.199 --> 00:06:28.680 one that certainly goes beyond, you know, most 00:06:28.680 --> 00:06:31.660 23 year olds and obviously chronic illness, chronic 00:06:31.660 --> 00:06:34.399 pain could be something that causes us to have 00:06:34.399 --> 00:06:39.060 a more mature outlook because you have to in 00:06:39.060 --> 00:06:41.319 order to survive and to make sense of your reality 00:06:41.319 --> 00:06:44.839 right now. But I certainly appreciate you kind 00:06:44.839 --> 00:06:47.120 of speaking about how you just have to adapt 00:06:47.120 --> 00:06:50.920 to whatever you can do at this particular time. 00:06:51.680 --> 00:06:56.160 I'm sure it was not easy to come to that realization. 00:06:57.040 --> 00:06:59.819 And so just wanted to ask you if you had to identify 00:06:59.819 --> 00:07:04.160 maybe a hardest part of your journey. And then 00:07:04.160 --> 00:07:08.899 also, how did God Meet you in that low point. 00:07:09.980 --> 00:07:14.050 Oh my goodness the hardest part. There's so many 00:07:14.050 --> 00:07:16.829 hard parts. I feel like there's it's kind of 00:07:16.829 --> 00:07:19.449 like an onion. You've got a lot of different 00:07:19.449 --> 00:07:22.970 layers that you have to unveil and different 00:07:22.970 --> 00:07:25.050 emotions that you have to experience as they 00:07:25.050 --> 00:07:28.370 come up with with different things. And so, you 00:07:28.370 --> 00:07:31.250 know, just different milestones can be hard hitting 00:07:31.250 --> 00:07:33.910 20 was, you know, a bit difficult because you're 00:07:33.910 --> 00:07:36.970 no longer a teen and then hitting 23 because 00:07:36.970 --> 00:07:39.569 it's a little bit more real than, you know, 22 00:07:39.569 --> 00:07:42.100 felt. And so each of those milestones, you have 00:07:42.100 --> 00:07:45.160 to kind of comprehend like this is this is my 00:07:45.160 --> 00:07:47.980 reality right now and it looks very different 00:07:47.980 --> 00:07:51.600 than the rest the world and or I guess I should 00:07:51.600 --> 00:07:53.199 say there's a lot of people with health issues 00:07:53.199 --> 00:07:55.259 a lot of different than the rest of the people 00:07:55.259 --> 00:07:58.240 I I'm around and stuff a lot of healthy people 00:07:58.240 --> 00:08:03.060 and just kind of acknowledging that like man 00:08:03.060 --> 00:08:05.160 my life looks so different than theirs because 00:08:05.160 --> 00:08:07.819 they're talking about their job interviews or 00:08:07.819 --> 00:08:10.100 their day at work and I'm like yeah I just had 00:08:10.100 --> 00:08:12.740 my third nap so you know sometimes it can look 00:08:12.740 --> 00:08:15.000 very different so that's something that you have 00:08:15.000 --> 00:08:18.079 to process and I think that can be hard because 00:08:18.079 --> 00:08:21.360 you want to rejoice for your friends and you 00:08:21.360 --> 00:08:24.079 want to be happy for them but then you also you 00:08:24.079 --> 00:08:27.540 know have that reality of you know, my personal 00:08:27.540 --> 00:08:30.100 life looks very different than theirs. So I think 00:08:30.100 --> 00:08:34.259 that can be hard, but what's helped me is my 00:08:34.259 --> 00:08:36.580 relationship with the Lord and there's a season 00:08:36.580 --> 00:08:38.879 for everything. You know, Ecclesiastes talks 00:08:38.879 --> 00:08:41.899 about that, which it's a lot easier to read that 00:08:41.899 --> 00:08:44.320 in Ecclesiastes than to apply it to your own 00:08:44.320 --> 00:08:48.240 life. But just realizing that there really is 00:08:48.240 --> 00:08:52.299 a season for everything. Right now, my life doesn't 00:08:52.299 --> 00:08:54.360 look like others, and this is the season I'm 00:08:54.360 --> 00:08:56.919 in, and I can acknowledge that that's frustrating, 00:08:57.019 --> 00:09:00.080 but I can also acknowledge that there's still 00:09:00.080 --> 00:09:02.799 the Lord's grace and goodness even in the season 00:09:02.799 --> 00:09:06.480 that I'm in now, and, you know, I process the 00:09:06.480 --> 00:09:09.200 hard emotions, but I also try to look for the 00:09:09.200 --> 00:09:13.190 positive and the joy. Yeah, I appreciate you 00:09:13.190 --> 00:09:15.649 pointing that out, and you mentioned the positive, 00:09:16.090 --> 00:09:18.789 and I know you have kind of a play on that word 00:09:18.789 --> 00:09:23.570 for a lot of your social media and other platforms, 00:09:23.769 --> 00:09:27.490 potsitive, you know, so I thought that was that's 00:09:27.490 --> 00:09:31.039 pretty clever. And also telling of the perspective 00:09:31.039 --> 00:09:33.639 you're trying to approach it at. So I'm just 00:09:33.639 --> 00:09:38.159 kind of curious if your relationship with God 00:09:38.159 --> 00:09:41.299 has been something that's been pretty steady 00:09:41.299 --> 00:09:44.240 throughout this, or is it something that you 00:09:44.240 --> 00:09:46.559 really had to wrestle with? And I'm sure it's 00:09:46.559 --> 00:09:48.379 different at different stages along the way, 00:09:48.399 --> 00:09:51.679 but kind of how has your relationship with God 00:09:51.679 --> 00:09:56.200 been impacted or been challenged during this 00:09:56.200 --> 00:10:00.730 time? I feel like it's definitely I've drawn 00:10:00.730 --> 00:10:03.690 closer to the Lord in this. I grew up in the 00:10:03.690 --> 00:10:06.590 church and I had that perspective, which I'm 00:10:06.590 --> 00:10:09.370 very thankful for, but I didn't really have a 00:10:09.370 --> 00:10:13.750 relationship or know God for myself until I was 00:10:13.750 --> 00:10:16.509 17. So a few months before I actually got diagnosed, 00:10:17.409 --> 00:10:20.330 I became a Christ follower, as I like to say, 00:10:20.429 --> 00:10:22.289 because I knew Christ, but I didn't necessarily 00:10:22.289 --> 00:10:27.519 follow Him like I do now. that was a lot to wrestle 00:10:27.519 --> 00:10:29.919 with because I thought becoming a Christian, 00:10:30.039 --> 00:10:33.720 a true Christ follower was what God wanted. And 00:10:33.720 --> 00:10:35.580 then when I went to the Mayo Clinic, He was going 00:10:35.580 --> 00:10:38.779 to heal me there or give me this magic answer. 00:10:39.159 --> 00:10:41.779 And so I had to kind of be like, well, I thought 00:10:41.779 --> 00:10:44.340 that all this was just for me to know you. And 00:10:44.340 --> 00:10:46.940 now that I know you, you can take all the bad 00:10:46.940 --> 00:10:50.399 away, but that wasn't His plan. So just kind 00:10:50.399 --> 00:10:54.320 of, even if I don't understand and... Just trying 00:10:54.320 --> 00:10:57.480 to trust him and I love the I love the Psalms 00:10:57.480 --> 00:10:59.559 because especially the ones that David wrote 00:10:59.559 --> 00:11:02.360 because he's so He's so real for all of them 00:11:02.360 --> 00:11:05.440 because he's always like well is me and I feel 00:11:05.440 --> 00:11:07.539 that and sometimes it's very harsh and it's very 00:11:07.539 --> 00:11:11.899 difficult Reality is but then you also see how 00:11:11.899 --> 00:11:15.440 David was always thanking God for things yet 00:11:15.440 --> 00:11:20.440 to come and Seemed impossible, but he also you 00:11:20.440 --> 00:11:23.820 know Worship the Lord where he was at and so 00:11:23.820 --> 00:11:26.360 I feel like just knowing that my emotions are 00:11:26.360 --> 00:11:28.899 not too much for God So I can come to him and 00:11:28.899 --> 00:11:31.639 be like what's going on? But then you know I 00:11:31.639 --> 00:11:34.240 can also worship him and say you know even if 00:11:34.240 --> 00:11:37.360 I don't understand Thank you, and when I am frustrated 00:11:37.360 --> 00:11:40.139 help me you know walk through this help me process 00:11:40.139 --> 00:11:43.120 this Yeah, I love that I love that you bring 00:11:43.120 --> 00:11:45.519 up the Psalms and particularly these Psalms of 00:11:45.519 --> 00:11:48.120 lament many of them attributed to David of course 00:11:48.120 --> 00:11:51.850 and Being able to be real with God and be real 00:11:51.850 --> 00:11:55.230 with God while still having hope. Both of those, 00:11:55.269 --> 00:11:56.870 you don't have to give up one for the other. 00:11:57.049 --> 00:11:59.509 I think some people feel like they've got to, 00:11:59.970 --> 00:12:01.789 if they're going to really tell God how they 00:12:01.789 --> 00:12:04.129 feel, they're somehow betraying the hope they 00:12:04.129 --> 00:12:06.090 have, or they think that because they have such 00:12:06.090 --> 00:12:10.129 great hope, that means they can't really be honest 00:12:10.129 --> 00:12:13.710 about maybe the depth of their struggles and 00:12:13.710 --> 00:12:16.460 their emotions in the Psalms. really clarify 00:12:16.460 --> 00:12:19.399 that for us. And we talk a lot about lament here 00:12:19.399 --> 00:12:22.100 on this show because we think it's important 00:12:22.100 --> 00:12:26.000 that we be real with God, at the same time recognizing 00:12:26.000 --> 00:12:29.139 that God will meet us in that moment, as He did 00:12:29.139 --> 00:12:32.100 David and the other examples that we have from 00:12:32.100 --> 00:12:36.419 Scripture of people who... have lamented. Andres 00:12:36.419 --> 00:12:40.399 put in our producer scripture for us to consider 00:12:40.399 --> 00:12:45.019 here from Psalm. So, Psalm 73 26, my flesh and 00:12:45.019 --> 00:12:48.100 my heart may fall, but God is the strength of 00:12:48.100 --> 00:12:51.519 my heart and my portion forever. That's a beautiful 00:12:51.519 --> 00:12:55.539 Psalm. And so, yeah, you can draw a lot of encouragement 00:12:55.539 --> 00:13:00.519 from those sources in scripture. What about the 00:13:00.519 --> 00:13:02.899 people around you? You mentioned friends. Of 00:13:02.899 --> 00:13:05.899 course, you do have a situation where, like you 00:13:05.899 --> 00:13:08.019 said, your life is very different than your friends. 00:13:08.080 --> 00:13:09.700 And that can be hard. It can be hard. It can 00:13:09.700 --> 00:13:14.500 be isolating even. But have you found some support 00:13:14.500 --> 00:13:16.659 around you that has been helpful in either your 00:13:16.659 --> 00:13:21.440 family or friends? Oh yes, I'm very thankful 00:13:21.440 --> 00:13:24.480 at this point in my life I have a huge support 00:13:24.480 --> 00:13:29.159 system. My family is amazing and my mom is, you 00:13:29.159 --> 00:13:31.879 know, she's my biggest cheerleader and she, I 00:13:31.879 --> 00:13:33.500 have to use a wheelchair when I go shopping so 00:13:33.500 --> 00:13:35.639 we will go shopping together and she'll get my 00:13:35.639 --> 00:13:38.360 wheelchair in and out of the car and then my 00:13:38.360 --> 00:13:41.299 dad, he's amazing too and works really hard and 00:13:41.299 --> 00:13:43.580 so I am thankful to have two amazing parents 00:13:43.580 --> 00:13:45.879 and then just beyond that siblings and sister 00:13:45.879 --> 00:13:48.409 -in -laws that are really supportive. And then 00:13:48.409 --> 00:13:51.590 I do have friends who are amazing and church 00:13:51.590 --> 00:13:54.049 families. So I'm just surrounded by people that 00:13:54.049 --> 00:13:58.230 even if they might not understand completely 00:13:58.230 --> 00:14:00.409 chronic illness, if they don't have it, they 00:14:00.409 --> 00:14:04.389 still are compassionate and loving towards me 00:14:04.389 --> 00:14:07.070 and, you know, careful to check on me and stuff 00:14:07.070 --> 00:14:08.950 like that. So I'm very grateful for that. Yeah. 00:14:09.179 --> 00:14:11.340 Yeah, that is something to be grateful for, because 00:14:11.340 --> 00:14:15.220 certainly not everyone has that. And so I'm glad 00:14:15.220 --> 00:14:19.240 that you can appreciate that blessing. I too, 00:14:19.279 --> 00:14:21.460 I feel like in my own, and I've said this before 00:14:21.460 --> 00:14:24.289 on this show before, but. I'm very blessed in 00:14:24.289 --> 00:14:27.129 terms of my support system, my family and my 00:14:27.129 --> 00:14:30.529 friends. Like you said, maybe some people who 00:14:30.529 --> 00:14:33.090 can't understand exactly what it's like, but 00:14:33.090 --> 00:14:36.509 they try to. They try to understand and they 00:14:36.509 --> 00:14:38.450 try to show support whether they can understand 00:14:38.450 --> 00:14:43.929 or not. We have so many people that are not in 00:14:43.929 --> 00:14:46.690 that situation that we deal with and broken and 00:14:46.690 --> 00:14:48.610 mended with people with chronic pain and chronic 00:14:48.610 --> 00:14:51.580 illness. And I think that's part of the reason 00:14:51.580 --> 00:14:54.740 why we try to provide some level of community 00:14:54.740 --> 00:14:58.960 for people that don't have that. And a lot of 00:14:58.960 --> 00:15:00.720 people involved in Broken Amendment do have that. 00:15:00.799 --> 00:15:02.419 And so it's just kind of an additional level 00:15:02.419 --> 00:15:05.220 of support. But for some people, it really becomes 00:15:05.220 --> 00:15:08.179 one of their primary ways of finding support 00:15:08.179 --> 00:15:10.759 and to be able to connect with people who are 00:15:10.759 --> 00:15:14.750 going through similar things. And I know that 00:15:14.750 --> 00:15:17.970 you really have a heart for people who are going 00:15:17.970 --> 00:15:21.850 through similar things because your story has 00:15:21.850 --> 00:15:24.769 turned into one to where you're trying to use 00:15:24.769 --> 00:15:27.090 what you've been through as a way to acknowledge 00:15:27.090 --> 00:15:28.850 what others have been through and to be able 00:15:28.850 --> 00:15:31.509 to bless them. And I know you have a lot of different 00:15:31.509 --> 00:15:34.570 ways. And I heard in one place maybe it was on 00:15:34.570 --> 00:15:36.820 your... your podcast trailer or something, but 00:15:36.820 --> 00:15:38.720 you talk about wanting to reach out especially 00:15:38.720 --> 00:15:42.799 to other teens and young adults. By the way, 00:15:43.000 --> 00:15:46.220 you don't know this about me, but I have children 00:15:46.220 --> 00:15:49.480 that are not far from your age. My oldest son 00:15:49.480 --> 00:15:52.899 is 22, and I have a 20 -year -old son who lives 00:15:52.899 --> 00:15:55.720 with one of the same diseases I have, ankylosing 00:15:55.720 --> 00:15:58.700 spondylitis, and I have a 17 -year -old daughter 00:15:58.700 --> 00:16:03.159 who is living with Crohn's. One of the things 00:16:03.159 --> 00:16:05.970 that has been hard for me as their parent was 00:16:05.970 --> 00:16:09.970 to see them having to deal with it at such a 00:16:09.970 --> 00:16:15.950 young age. It impacts just everything that they 00:16:15.950 --> 00:16:18.409 want to do. You've kind of already alluded to 00:16:18.409 --> 00:16:20.350 that, but it comes with some unique struggles, 00:16:20.350 --> 00:16:23.169 I think, at that age. Because as you get older, 00:16:23.370 --> 00:16:24.950 maybe some people expect there are going to be 00:16:24.950 --> 00:16:26.549 more health problems. And a lot of times when 00:16:26.549 --> 00:16:29.960 you're dealing with younger people, sometimes 00:16:29.960 --> 00:16:32.299 they would not even think that that could be 00:16:32.299 --> 00:16:36.440 possible or likely. What I'm getting at, it's 00:16:36.440 --> 00:16:39.340 a long way for me saying that people can feel 00:16:39.340 --> 00:16:43.120 very isolated, I think, at your age and younger. 00:16:43.639 --> 00:16:45.620 I appreciate that you're particularly wanting 00:16:45.620 --> 00:16:49.059 to reach out to that group of people. You have 00:16:49.059 --> 00:16:53.419 your Instagram, your YouTube channel, podcast, 00:16:53.559 --> 00:16:56.559 and books. We'll talk about your books here in 00:16:56.559 --> 00:17:00.399 just a moment. But you also, I've noticed in 00:17:00.399 --> 00:17:02.840 these highlight, you really emphasize the struggle 00:17:02.840 --> 00:17:06.619 of invisible illness and that seems to be especially 00:17:06.619 --> 00:17:09.480 important to you. So I wanted to ask why that 00:17:09.480 --> 00:17:11.359 is? Why do you think that's such an important 00:17:11.359 --> 00:17:13.799 thing to emphasize? And what do you want people 00:17:13.799 --> 00:17:18.299 to know about invisible illness? I think it's 00:17:18.299 --> 00:17:21.299 so important for me because my illnesses are 00:17:21.299 --> 00:17:25.000 so invisible. I actually didn't tell people about 00:17:25.000 --> 00:17:28.779 my health issues until I was 19. I was fortunate 00:17:28.779 --> 00:17:32.799 enough to be homeschooled. And so that was able 00:17:32.799 --> 00:17:36.740 to cater even more to keeping it a secret and 00:17:36.740 --> 00:17:39.359 not telling people. And then at 19, it got to 00:17:39.359 --> 00:17:42.200 the point where I became bed bound. So of course, 00:17:42.420 --> 00:17:45.099 it was no longer something I could keep a secret. 00:17:45.500 --> 00:17:50.910 And I think people don't always understand how 00:17:50.910 --> 00:17:54.210 challenging it can be and how often and how much 00:17:54.210 --> 00:17:56.730 I can have symptoms and how much they affect 00:17:56.730 --> 00:17:59.750 my daily life because it's not something visible. 00:17:59.970 --> 00:18:02.109 When someone breaks their arm, of course they're 00:18:02.109 --> 00:18:03.670 in a lot of pain, of course that's something 00:18:03.670 --> 00:18:06.230 that they have to heal from, but you see the 00:18:06.230 --> 00:18:08.369 cast and so that's something where you look at 00:18:08.369 --> 00:18:10.880 them and you go, oh... they've hurt their arm 00:18:10.880 --> 00:18:12.920 and so it's something that you can recognize 00:18:12.920 --> 00:18:15.579 whereas when you're dealing with something that's 00:18:15.579 --> 00:18:17.680 you know breaking havoc on the inside of your 00:18:17.680 --> 00:18:20.839 body it's not something that you can see and 00:18:20.839 --> 00:18:23.299 you know you can get close to people where my 00:18:23.299 --> 00:18:25.740 mom will look at me and she'll see my eyes glazing 00:18:25.740 --> 00:18:29.039 over or she'll see my cheeks flushing from temperature 00:18:29.039 --> 00:18:32.079 dysregulation or my legs turn purple from blood 00:18:32.079 --> 00:18:35.160 pooling and she can sense she can see those things 00:18:35.160 --> 00:18:37.480 because she knows me and you know different people 00:18:37.609 --> 00:18:40.710 close to me can see that but for the rest of 00:18:40.710 --> 00:18:44.430 the world I could I look completely healthy and 00:18:44.430 --> 00:18:47.490 so I think that's so important because I think 00:18:47.490 --> 00:18:50.750 because it can be so invisible it can be lonely 00:18:50.750 --> 00:18:54.190 and not something that people always understand 00:18:54.190 --> 00:18:56.809 because of the invisible side and so I just kind 00:18:56.809 --> 00:19:00.170 of want to encourage you know especially teens 00:19:00.170 --> 00:19:02.869 because that's such a vital vital, your vital 00:19:02.869 --> 00:19:05.470 years, but then also young adults or really any 00:19:05.470 --> 00:19:08.849 age, just to feel more empowered that like, it 00:19:08.849 --> 00:19:11.490 is invisible, but that doesn't diminish, you 00:19:11.490 --> 00:19:13.509 know, your struggle and the things you're going 00:19:13.509 --> 00:19:19.970 through and your symptoms or your, you know, 00:19:20.069 --> 00:19:22.369 your worth isn't based on whether someone can 00:19:22.369 --> 00:19:25.289 see your symptoms or not. And your, your, your 00:19:25.289 --> 00:19:27.490 symptoms are still valid, even if it's if it's 00:19:27.490 --> 00:19:31.839 not seen. Yeah, I think Thank you for that. And 00:19:31.839 --> 00:19:35.099 I think it's especially validating for people 00:19:35.099 --> 00:19:37.339 that are going through this and they feel very 00:19:37.339 --> 00:19:41.160 alone or that there is no one else that can understand, 00:19:41.700 --> 00:19:44.720 but there are. There are people out there who 00:19:44.720 --> 00:19:46.880 are going through similar things. And I think 00:19:46.880 --> 00:19:49.319 it's much more than what people realize. I was 00:19:49.319 --> 00:19:52.960 actually looking for, we're doing something a 00:19:52.960 --> 00:19:54.579 little different with Broken Amended in their 00:19:54.579 --> 00:19:57.640 future. where we're going to be helping families 00:19:57.640 --> 00:19:59.819 who have children with chronic illness. So they 00:19:59.819 --> 00:20:01.480 could be young children, but they could be older 00:20:01.480 --> 00:20:05.220 children and teenagers as well. And so I was 00:20:05.220 --> 00:20:08.279 looking a little bit at the occurrence of chronic 00:20:08.279 --> 00:20:11.619 illness and chronic health conditions with younger 00:20:11.619 --> 00:20:16.240 people. And it was pretty high. Like I was surprised 00:20:16.240 --> 00:20:20.240 that something like 30 to 40 percent of all people 00:20:20.240 --> 00:20:22.299 that are children, which in this case was defined 00:20:22.299 --> 00:20:25.019 as under 18. have some kind of chronic condition. 00:20:25.279 --> 00:20:27.700 Now, those weren't all the same. One could be 00:20:27.700 --> 00:20:30.400 ADHD, for example, or dyslexia, it could be. 00:20:30.779 --> 00:20:32.579 And then some were struggling with mental health 00:20:32.579 --> 00:20:36.599 issues. But I think the numbers were close to 00:20:36.599 --> 00:20:40.700 around 10%, that have basically kind of a life 00:20:40.700 --> 00:20:43.960 limiting, life altering type, you know, chronic 00:20:43.960 --> 00:20:45.819 pain, chronic illness. That's still a lot of 00:20:45.819 --> 00:20:49.259 people. And a lot of, I think a lot of times, 00:20:49.259 --> 00:20:51.240 and I'm reflecting a little bit back on my own 00:20:51.240 --> 00:20:55.019 kids when I say this, because I know that when 00:20:55.019 --> 00:20:58.279 my son was first going through this that he did 00:20:58.279 --> 00:21:00.119 not realize that there were other people in the 00:21:00.119 --> 00:21:02.420 same youth group that were going through something 00:21:02.420 --> 00:21:05.140 similar until he shared what he was going through. 00:21:05.339 --> 00:21:08.420 And then that caused other people to open up. 00:21:08.619 --> 00:21:10.599 So really kudos to you for doing what you do 00:21:10.599 --> 00:21:14.039 because people do need to know that they're not 00:21:14.039 --> 00:21:15.720 alone, that there are others who are going through 00:21:15.720 --> 00:21:19.990 similar things. And, yeah, Andres is posting 00:21:19.990 --> 00:21:22.609 some things here. He's doing live research for 00:21:22.609 --> 00:21:25.109 us. I appreciate that. But, yeah, approximately 00:21:25.109 --> 00:21:27.869 one in five children and adolescents worldwide 00:21:27.869 --> 00:21:31.910 experience chronic pain, age and gender. Chronic 00:21:31.910 --> 00:21:34.609 pain prevalence increases with age peaking during 00:21:34.609 --> 00:21:39.349 adolescence, 15, 16 years old. And then girls 00:21:39.349 --> 00:21:41.470 generally report a higher prevalence of chronic 00:21:41.470 --> 00:21:44.440 pain than boys. But they're still high for both 00:21:44.440 --> 00:21:48.759 boys and girls, like 26 .4 for girls, 18 .4 % 00:21:48.759 --> 00:21:51.579 for boys. So that's a lot going on for people 00:21:51.579 --> 00:21:54.200 that are young. And a lot of times older people 00:21:54.200 --> 00:21:56.460 especially, maybe because they forgot what it 00:21:56.460 --> 00:21:58.559 was like when they were young, they assume that 00:21:58.559 --> 00:22:00.539 nothing real serious could be happening there. 00:22:01.180 --> 00:22:04.640 Even though I didn't start struggling with my 00:22:04.640 --> 00:22:09.319 issues until I was, I think, 35 or so. I still 00:22:09.319 --> 00:22:11.480 had older people at church often tell me something 00:22:11.480 --> 00:22:14.339 like, well, wait till you get to my age. And 00:22:14.339 --> 00:22:16.539 it was kind of an invalidating thing because 00:22:16.539 --> 00:22:19.160 it was saying that what I'm going through right 00:22:19.160 --> 00:22:21.539 now must not be serious because I'm not old enough. 00:22:21.839 --> 00:22:23.960 So if that was true for me at 35, I can only 00:22:23.960 --> 00:22:27.079 imagine how that attitude could be impactful 00:22:27.079 --> 00:22:32.299 for people in your age group. I do want to know 00:22:32.299 --> 00:22:34.859 a little bit more about the books you've written. 00:22:35.440 --> 00:22:38.700 I know at least one, if not two. I know one has 00:22:38.700 --> 00:22:40.319 been published. Has the second one been published 00:22:40.319 --> 00:22:43.720 as well? Yes, it has. You published two books 00:22:43.720 --> 00:22:46.359 in a pretty short period of time. Is that correct? 00:22:47.740 --> 00:22:51.880 Yes, I published them both last summer into fall. 00:22:52.519 --> 00:22:57.099 Wow, that's a lot. Tell me a little bit about 00:22:57.099 --> 00:22:59.380 that and tell our listeners a little bit about 00:22:59.380 --> 00:23:02.259 that, what each of the books are about. I'm always 00:23:02.259 --> 00:23:04.220 curious, by the way, when you're sharing this, 00:23:04.839 --> 00:23:07.180 kind of prompted you or inspired you to write 00:23:07.180 --> 00:23:12.220 the book that you ended up writing. So my first 00:23:12.220 --> 00:23:14.799 book is a little children's chapter book and 00:23:14.799 --> 00:23:19.180 that one was inspired by my little nephew over 00:23:19.180 --> 00:23:22.980 a couple summers ago. He spent it with us a couple 00:23:22.980 --> 00:23:27.640 weeks and he's just such a fun kind kid and he's 00:23:27.640 --> 00:23:30.200 goofy but he's got a lot of where he's like you 00:23:30.200 --> 00:23:33.279 know skeptical of things and very hesitant and 00:23:33.279 --> 00:23:36.640 you know as any you know, young kid has. He's 00:23:36.640 --> 00:23:39.339 got his own fears and stuff. And so I wanted 00:23:39.339 --> 00:23:43.920 a book where I just kind of normalized disabilities, 00:23:44.119 --> 00:23:47.259 but also had this cool story and included superheroes 00:23:47.259 --> 00:23:49.779 and stuff like that. And so I was telling my 00:23:49.779 --> 00:23:51.279 mom about it and I was like, man, I just wish 00:23:51.279 --> 00:23:53.829 there was a book. And she goes, well, why don't 00:23:53.829 --> 00:23:56.990 you write one and so I was like okay and then 00:23:56.990 --> 00:24:00.410 I started writing this book and um just kind 00:24:00.410 --> 00:24:02.750 of get my ideas down and seeing if it was possible 00:24:02.750 --> 00:24:05.049 and I ended up writing Leo and Charlotte True 00:24:05.049 --> 00:24:08.940 Heroes and it's about this little boy who's going 00:24:08.940 --> 00:24:11.859 into the fourth grade and he's a little nervous 00:24:11.859 --> 00:24:14.460 and kind of got a lot of fears, but through the 00:24:14.460 --> 00:24:17.119 stories of, you know, history stories that his 00:24:17.119 --> 00:24:19.380 teacher, his history teacher tells, and through 00:24:19.380 --> 00:24:21.980 his parents, his neighbor, and his three best 00:24:21.980 --> 00:24:25.059 friends, he kind of learns to be. brave and and 00:24:25.059 --> 00:24:27.440 what that looks like without having superpowers. 00:24:28.000 --> 00:24:30.819 And his best friend Charlotte in the book has 00:24:30.819 --> 00:24:33.619 a disability and she has to use arm crutches. 00:24:33.680 --> 00:24:37.319 So it kind of normalizes using disabilities and 00:24:37.319 --> 00:24:39.440 how they help her get around. It's not the focal 00:24:39.440 --> 00:24:42.200 point of the story, but it still normalizes it 00:24:42.200 --> 00:24:45.259 in such a fun, unique way. And so I love doing 00:24:45.259 --> 00:24:47.259 that. And then I also talk about the American 00:24:47.259 --> 00:24:51.500 Americans with Disability Act. and kind of invisible 00:24:51.500 --> 00:24:53.859 illnesses and dynamic disabilities, just kind 00:24:53.859 --> 00:24:56.079 of sprinkled in there a little bit with it where 00:24:56.079 --> 00:24:58.880 it's still part of the story but not like super 00:24:58.880 --> 00:25:02.240 overbearing, just in a fun way. And then my second 00:25:02.240 --> 00:25:09.539 book that I published is a Christian rom -com. 00:25:09.859 --> 00:25:13.059 It's a Potsy rom -com. The main character has 00:25:13.059 --> 00:25:16.200 pots. It's called Salty for You, so it's a little 00:25:16.200 --> 00:25:21.549 play on words. And it's about this 26 year old 00:25:21.549 --> 00:25:25.170 girl who has pots and she doesn't want love, 00:25:25.269 --> 00:25:27.769 she doesn't want a relationship. She's very happy 00:25:27.769 --> 00:25:32.390 in her own little world. And then this very handsome, 00:25:32.490 --> 00:25:36.690 very rugged guy comes into town and they don't 00:25:36.690 --> 00:25:38.769 like each other at first. So it's, you know, 00:25:38.970 --> 00:25:40.910 it kind of enemies to lovers, but it's this whole 00:25:40.910 --> 00:25:43.279 story of where they're having to... grow their 00:25:43.279 --> 00:25:45.380 relationship with the Lord and they fall in love 00:25:45.380 --> 00:25:48.160 with each other. And so it's just a fun, very 00:25:48.160 --> 00:25:52.059 lighthearted, very Hallmark -style romance, but 00:25:52.059 --> 00:25:55.460 it also shows her struggles, her invisible struggles 00:25:55.460 --> 00:25:57.859 with POTS, but kind of shows you the symptoms 00:25:57.859 --> 00:26:00.140 going on in her body when she's feeling excited 00:26:00.140 --> 00:26:03.079 or nervous. A lot of things that wouldn't normally 00:26:03.079 --> 00:26:05.440 be seen, I was able to write in the book, which 00:26:05.440 --> 00:26:08.500 was really cool and really fun and very healing 00:26:08.500 --> 00:26:12.200 in a way because I get to put you know, part 00:26:12.200 --> 00:26:15.359 of myself in that book. And it's a happy ending, 00:26:15.640 --> 00:26:17.579 so of course, who wouldn't love that? Right, 00:26:17.759 --> 00:26:22.180 yeah. So the first book, tell me the name again. 00:26:24.119 --> 00:26:26.460 Leo and Charlotte True Heroes. Leo and Charlotte 00:26:26.460 --> 00:26:29.099 True Heroes. What age group would you say that's 00:26:29.099 --> 00:26:30.599 targeted at? I know you said it was a children's 00:26:30.599 --> 00:26:32.480 book. Is it little kids or a little bit older? 00:26:33.740 --> 00:26:36.160 So really anywhere between like seven to ten 00:26:36.160 --> 00:26:38.680 but younger could it could be read to or older 00:26:38.680 --> 00:26:41.480 So I mean it's one I've had you know my friends 00:26:41.480 --> 00:26:43.940 who are in their 60s They've read it, but it 00:26:43.940 --> 00:26:46.839 also my nephews read it so really for any age 00:26:46.839 --> 00:26:49.039 But mainly you know seven seven to ten the main 00:26:49.039 --> 00:26:51.500 characters are in going into fourth grade So 00:26:51.500 --> 00:26:54.779 kind of that age rate that age range okay, and 00:26:54.779 --> 00:26:57.339 we will put it just for our listeners sake I'm 00:26:57.339 --> 00:26:59.599 saying this we will put links to both your books 00:26:59.599 --> 00:27:02.859 in our show notes so people can uh people can 00:27:02.859 --> 00:27:06.400 find it real easily and so your other rom -com 00:27:06.400 --> 00:27:09.019 is that more for young adults is that kind of 00:27:09.019 --> 00:27:11.779 your target audience there is it somewhere else 00:27:11.779 --> 00:27:15.599 yeah that's mainly for um young young adults 00:27:15.599 --> 00:27:19.200 so you know kind of teens and to like you know 00:27:19.200 --> 00:27:23.680 20s but also any age it's very appropriate um 00:27:23.680 --> 00:27:28.180 only like the married couple will kiss. But other 00:27:28.180 --> 00:27:30.900 than that, it never goes beyond that. I wanted 00:27:30.900 --> 00:27:33.880 to keep it really clean as a book that my nieces 00:27:33.880 --> 00:27:37.160 could read as they got older or you'd feel comfortable 00:27:37.160 --> 00:27:39.299 reading in front of your grandma. So nothing 00:27:39.299 --> 00:27:42.839 crazy. So just a very clean book for really any 00:27:42.839 --> 00:27:45.819 age. That's good. Well, I'm excited that those 00:27:45.819 --> 00:27:49.019 are out there. Congratulations on getting that 00:27:49.019 --> 00:27:53.099 done. Thank you. I know it's a lot of work. Yeah, 00:27:53.240 --> 00:27:54.519 that sounds like the kind of book, honestly, 00:27:54.660 --> 00:27:57.519 I would get for my daughter, my 17 -year -old 00:27:57.519 --> 00:27:59.460 daughter, that she would enjoy that kind of book. 00:27:59.940 --> 00:28:04.200 And I appreciate that it's appropriate. I wouldn't 00:28:04.200 --> 00:28:08.039 expect otherwise. But yeah, that's a good reassurance 00:28:08.039 --> 00:28:14.619 as well. And so yeah, that sounds exciting. I 00:28:14.619 --> 00:28:17.799 want to ask you about some of these other platforms 00:28:17.799 --> 00:28:20.220 that you use. And it looks like some of them 00:28:20.220 --> 00:28:22.279 you're kind of getting off the ground. Like, 00:28:22.759 --> 00:28:25.900 I don't know, how many podcast episodes did you 00:28:25.900 --> 00:28:31.279 have recorded? I think podcast. So kind of with 00:28:31.279 --> 00:28:33.779 all my social media, as I'm sure you understand, 00:28:34.019 --> 00:28:36.700 with health issues, it can ebb and flow. So if 00:28:36.700 --> 00:28:42.359 I have an idea, I just post. upload an episode 00:28:42.359 --> 00:28:45.799 and the same thing with YouTube. YouTube is mainly 00:28:45.799 --> 00:28:48.559 for streaming my conferences, but when I have 00:28:48.559 --> 00:28:51.119 the energy, I will upload YouTube shorts or video 00:28:51.119 --> 00:28:57.420 or something. With the Be Potsitive, is that 00:28:57.420 --> 00:29:01.000 the way people can most easily find you on whatever 00:29:01.000 --> 00:29:06.359 platform they're looking for? Yes. I'm Be Potsitive 00:29:06.359 --> 00:29:10.130 on Um, it's like any podcasting platform. I think 00:29:10.130 --> 00:29:13.410 it's be positive with Sarah Reed is my podcasting. 00:29:13.650 --> 00:29:17.869 And then on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, it's 00:29:17.869 --> 00:29:21.450 be positive. And then I believe on TikTok, it's 00:29:21.450 --> 00:29:23.910 either Sarah Reed or be positive. I just started 00:29:23.910 --> 00:29:26.849 that. Um, it's my first time downloading it. 00:29:26.869 --> 00:29:30.569 So I feel like a very grandma, um, cause I don't 00:29:30.569 --> 00:29:32.289 really know how to use it yet. So I'm still figuring 00:29:32.289 --> 00:29:35.900 that out. Well, I definitely don't know how to 00:29:35.900 --> 00:29:38.900 use it, but I know some of our listeners, especially 00:29:38.900 --> 00:29:42.259 given the age group that you're connecting with, 00:29:42.559 --> 00:29:45.440 will certainly appreciate that you have a TikTok 00:29:45.440 --> 00:29:50.420 account. What I could see would be challenging 00:29:50.420 --> 00:29:53.019 is you have so many different avenues of reaching 00:29:53.019 --> 00:29:56.559 out. Like you said, you have limited energy depending 00:29:56.559 --> 00:30:01.390 on what your health is like. What's your strategy? 00:30:01.650 --> 00:30:03.230 Is it just kind of in the moment, like you said, 00:30:03.269 --> 00:30:05.210 if something kind of pops in your mind, you'll 00:30:05.210 --> 00:30:07.250 do it? Or is there one that you're going to be 00:30:07.250 --> 00:30:10.529 focusing on more in the months to come? What's 00:30:10.529 --> 00:30:14.930 your overall plan, I guess, for that? I'm normally 00:30:14.930 --> 00:30:18.029 more, lately I've been more consistent on Instagram 00:30:18.029 --> 00:30:20.349 and TikTok, but I do try to post to Facebook 00:30:20.349 --> 00:30:22.970 and stuff. I normally just think of an idea and 00:30:22.970 --> 00:30:26.710 I'll upload it and then I'll, you know, save 00:30:26.710 --> 00:30:29.049 the video and upload it to the other platforms. 00:30:29.529 --> 00:30:33.089 But I've been doing something fun. I get infusions 00:30:33.089 --> 00:30:35.089 every week to help with my chronic illnesses. 00:30:35.329 --> 00:30:39.660 So I have Funky Fusion Fridays where I And I 00:30:39.660 --> 00:30:43.519 wear thrifted outfits or just weird outfits that 00:30:43.519 --> 00:30:47.940 I just want to wear. And I record a video of 00:30:47.940 --> 00:30:51.220 my outfit that day. And so normally I'll upload 00:30:51.220 --> 00:30:54.099 that once a week. So that's something that has 00:30:54.099 --> 00:30:56.720 been consistent every Friday. That will be posted 00:30:56.720 --> 00:31:00.519 to all my social medias. OK, good deal. Well, 00:31:00.519 --> 00:31:02.480 I'm glad there's so many different ways in which 00:31:02.480 --> 00:31:06.089 people can find you and connect to you. We'll 00:31:06.089 --> 00:31:08.829 try to put all those in the show notes as well 00:31:08.829 --> 00:31:13.109 so people can find out what you have to offer. 00:31:14.569 --> 00:31:18.410 Well, I wanted to ask you one more question, 00:31:18.970 --> 00:31:23.529 really two parts to it. One is, are there other 00:31:23.529 --> 00:31:25.630 resources that have been helpful to you or you 00:31:25.630 --> 00:31:29.569 would want to point people toward? Then the second 00:31:29.569 --> 00:31:32.670 part of that, just any parting words you want 00:31:32.670 --> 00:31:35.589 to share as an encouragement to our listeners 00:31:35.589 --> 00:31:40.549 today. Yeah, so I actually wrote it down, but 00:31:40.549 --> 00:31:44.049 there's this resource that it's a Christian devotional 00:31:44.049 --> 00:31:46.690 specifically for chronic illnesses that my mom 00:31:46.690 --> 00:31:49.470 actually gave me a couple years ago, and it's 00:31:49.470 --> 00:31:54.950 called Searching for Sea Glass by K .A .R .A 00:31:54.950 --> 00:31:58.680 .J. PLATT, I'm not going to try to pronounce 00:31:58.680 --> 00:32:01.480 it because brain fog and I do struggle with dyslexia, 00:32:01.579 --> 00:32:05.019 but you can search that name up on Amazon and 00:32:05.019 --> 00:32:06.920 you can find her book. It's such an encouraging 00:32:06.920 --> 00:32:09.460 book and really just helps you process those 00:32:09.460 --> 00:32:12.299 emotions. I would say if you haven't looked it 00:32:12.299 --> 00:32:14.740 up, you should look it up. I think something 00:32:14.740 --> 00:32:17.859 I would tell people is just your emotions are 00:32:17.859 --> 00:32:22.640 not too big for the Lord. you're allowed to feel 00:32:22.640 --> 00:32:25.240 all the emotions and he doesn't get mad at those 00:32:25.240 --> 00:32:29.319 emotions and he doesn't you know get angry about 00:32:29.319 --> 00:32:31.460 those emotions so just go to him with whatever 00:32:31.460 --> 00:32:33.940 you're feeling and he'll help you process those 00:32:33.940 --> 00:32:36.799 sometimes you might need to be angry or be frustrated 00:32:36.799 --> 00:32:40.140 and that's okay just go to him with all those 00:32:40.140 --> 00:32:43.779 emotions and then What was the last question 00:32:43.779 --> 00:32:45.339 you asked me? I forgot. I'm sorry. No, that's 00:32:45.339 --> 00:32:47.579 okay. No, and you might have already answered 00:32:47.579 --> 00:32:49.839 it, but it was basically, you know, resources 00:32:49.839 --> 00:32:52.460 in the second part was just kind of parting words 00:32:52.460 --> 00:32:55.000 of encouragement or anything you would want to 00:32:55.000 --> 00:32:58.900 say. Oh, yeah. Resources. So another resource 00:32:58.900 --> 00:33:01.299 that I actually started doing two years ago, 00:33:01.339 --> 00:33:05.180 this will be my third year. I host a conference 00:33:05.180 --> 00:33:08.660 called the Be Positive Conference, and it will 00:33:08.660 --> 00:33:13.380 be hosted in Leesburg, Georgia. But if you are 00:33:13.380 --> 00:33:16.039 not able to travel or you live in other states 00:33:16.039 --> 00:33:19.160 or countries, you can watch it. It will be live 00:33:19.160 --> 00:33:21.640 streamed on my YouTube channel and that will 00:33:21.640 --> 00:33:26.079 be August 8th and ticket sales will be launched 00:33:26.079 --> 00:33:28.740 soon. So that I'm really excited about that. 00:33:28.740 --> 00:33:30.980 That it'll have guest speakers of some of my 00:33:30.980 --> 00:33:34.599 medical team and then a supporter slash caregiver 00:33:34.599 --> 00:33:37.859 perspective. It'll have you know food and photo 00:33:37.859 --> 00:33:42.150 booth and just kind of a fun way to kind of connect 00:33:42.150 --> 00:33:44.730 people and make it where you feel a little less 00:33:44.730 --> 00:33:49.089 alone, but also raise awareness and help family 00:33:49.089 --> 00:33:51.549 and friends understand what those with pots are 00:33:51.549 --> 00:33:55.490 going through. That's great. And so how many 00:33:55.490 --> 00:33:59.509 times have you done this before? This year will 00:33:59.509 --> 00:34:02.130 be my my third year. So I've done it complete 00:34:02.130 --> 00:34:03.950 times. And this will be this will be my third 00:34:03.950 --> 00:34:06.089 time. That's that's ambitious. But that's that's 00:34:06.089 --> 00:34:08.440 that's great. And yeah, we'll certainly want 00:34:08.440 --> 00:34:11.739 to point people in that direction, because I 00:34:11.739 --> 00:34:16.000 think those moments of connection, encouragement, 00:34:16.260 --> 00:34:18.519 those moments, again, of finding out you're not 00:34:18.519 --> 00:34:22.019 alone are important. And so the more I hear about 00:34:22.019 --> 00:34:24.400 that kind of stuff happening, I'm encouraged 00:34:24.400 --> 00:34:26.639 by it. And so yeah, we'll make sure people know 00:34:26.639 --> 00:34:31.460 about that. We always talk a lot here about Diamonds 00:34:31.460 --> 00:34:33.500 Conference as well, just because we know that 00:34:33.500 --> 00:34:37.469 they do a lot. And also not just that they uh, 00:34:37.510 --> 00:34:40.849 minister to people who are young adults, but 00:34:40.849 --> 00:34:43.650 they do happen to, you know, pick up a lot in 00:34:43.650 --> 00:34:45.989 that age group, just because I think of the age, 00:34:46.070 --> 00:34:49.090 this all started for Sarah Willoughby. Uh, and 00:34:49.090 --> 00:34:51.090 then of course we have our own, our own conference 00:34:51.090 --> 00:34:53.989 that we're going to be having, uh, in October, 00:34:53.989 --> 00:34:57.789 uh, which is a, uh, basically, you know, uh, 00:34:57.829 --> 00:34:59.889 just where we have three speakers and a Q and 00:34:59.889 --> 00:35:04.619 A and We had our first one last year and so that 00:35:04.619 --> 00:35:06.260 was a big undertaking for us. That's why I was 00:35:06.260 --> 00:35:07.719 just kind of impressed that you've already done 00:35:07.719 --> 00:35:12.000 this for your third time coming up. But congratulations 00:35:12.000 --> 00:35:15.139 on that and we'll make sure people can find. 00:35:15.199 --> 00:35:19.710 Thank you. A lot with chronic illnesses. So my 00:35:19.710 --> 00:35:23.409 mom is amazing. I have an idea and if I don't 00:35:23.409 --> 00:35:25.230 have the energy to complete it, she does it. 00:35:25.250 --> 00:35:29.170 And then one of my best friends, she is like 00:35:29.170 --> 00:35:31.889 in her 60s, but I always say that I'm the senior 00:35:31.889 --> 00:35:34.230 citizen friend and she's like the go -getter. 00:35:34.590 --> 00:35:37.670 So she helps me plan it as well. So I'll have 00:35:37.670 --> 00:35:41.619 a crazy idea. they will help me, you know, accomplish 00:35:41.619 --> 00:35:44.360 it and stuff. So I'm very thankful to have a 00:35:44.360 --> 00:35:46.099 support system because like you said, it really 00:35:46.099 --> 00:35:49.019 is so important to have these conferences and 00:35:49.019 --> 00:35:51.639 stuff because just kind of getting the word out 00:35:51.639 --> 00:35:55.139 there, normalizing health issues, having a safe 00:35:55.139 --> 00:35:57.920 place we can talk about it is so important. And 00:35:57.920 --> 00:36:00.739 I think it really, you don't know like the impact 00:36:00.739 --> 00:36:03.219 that I'll have on people in the future. Yeah, 00:36:03.219 --> 00:36:06.530 that's right. That's right. Yeah, and I love 00:36:06.530 --> 00:36:09.250 the teamwork approach that you have there and 00:36:09.250 --> 00:36:12.409 just, I can relate to that coming up with crazy 00:36:12.409 --> 00:36:16.670 ideas, but needing people around me to help accomplish 00:36:16.670 --> 00:36:19.769 it for sure. But it's good for us to lean into 00:36:19.769 --> 00:36:23.170 those crazy ideas because that allows us to really 00:36:23.170 --> 00:36:25.030 step out there and trust that God is going to 00:36:25.030 --> 00:36:27.269 do something if we are just obedient with what 00:36:27.269 --> 00:36:30.210 he puts in front of us to do. And so obviously 00:36:30.210 --> 00:36:33.190 that's happening in your life. So again, we just 00:36:33.190 --> 00:36:36.519 thank you for being with us today and sharing 00:36:36.519 --> 00:36:38.460 some of your story and some of your resources. 00:36:38.659 --> 00:36:40.139 I know it's going to be a blessing to a lot of 00:36:40.139 --> 00:36:44.519 people. Well, thank you so much for having me 00:36:44.519 --> 00:36:46.699 on here. I really appreciate it and love that 00:36:46.699 --> 00:36:49.619 I can share my story. Yeah, absolutely. Well, 00:36:49.639 --> 00:36:53.239 thank you for listening, you know, for our podcast 00:36:53.239 --> 00:36:55.960 audience, and we'll refer to you as always to 00:36:55.960 --> 00:36:59.019 our website to find out the latest of what's 00:36:59.019 --> 00:37:01.199 going on with Broken and Mended. So that's just 00:37:01.199 --> 00:37:04.219 brokenandmended .org. And from there, you can 00:37:04.219 --> 00:37:07.320 find out many different ways that you can participate 00:37:07.320 --> 00:37:09.699 with our ministry, whether it be through support 00:37:09.699 --> 00:37:12.860 groups or utilization of some of our other resources 00:37:12.860 --> 00:37:15.519 and certainly we always welcome if you're in 00:37:15.519 --> 00:37:19.300 a position to be able to do so a financial partnership 00:37:19.300 --> 00:37:23.199 because that allows us to bring this message 00:37:23.199 --> 00:37:25.579 of hope not just here in the states but across 00:37:25.579 --> 00:37:28.059 the world and if you get on brokenamenda .org 00:37:28.059 --> 00:37:30.099 you'll see that quite a bit of it is focused 00:37:30.099 --> 00:37:34.840 overseas particularly in Africa. And so we appreciate 00:37:34.840 --> 00:37:36.800 you just kind of checking out what we're doing. 00:37:37.179 --> 00:37:41.039 This podcast is just one of one branch or one 00:37:41.039 --> 00:37:44.219 outreach that we have among several. But it's 00:37:44.219 --> 00:37:48.000 always a pleasure to be able to bring. you know 00:37:48.000 --> 00:37:50.480 these interviews to life and to be able to bring 00:37:50.480 --> 00:37:54.079 these people to our listeners that can be a source 00:37:54.079 --> 00:37:57.099 of encouragement and again a source of really 00:37:57.099 --> 00:37:59.820 practical resources as well. So thank you for 00:37:59.820 --> 00:38:02.840 listening and we look forward to having you back 00:38:02.840 --> 00:38:03.539 the next time.