When I was diagnosed with POTS in 2015, I had no idea what to make of it. What was this condition I had never even heard of that was now going to impact the rest of my life? What would it make of me? How would it affect my family? These were the questions I asked myself over and over.
After a certain amount of visits to the emergency room and numerous missed days of school, I began to even question my own self-worth. I questioned my place in the world, my importance. I began to think of myself as a burden.
I severely doubted myself and my abilities, so much so that even graduating high school seemed daunting.
Yet despite it all, despite all of the doubt and the worry and the fear, I have persevered. I have accomplished things a part of me never thought was possible.
I don’t say this to gloat or brag, but rather as a testament to the strength and resilience of people diagnosed with chronic illnesses. People so often doubt our capabilities, and sometimes we even doubt ourselves. But the truth is, we are so much more than a label or diagnosis.
This is not a conclusion I came to on my own, but with the continued support of my family and friends. Because of them, I would like to extend my personal support to the dysautonomia community by spreading awareness and through scholarship.
I know firsthand what it’s like to experience living with dysautonomia, and I know it’s no easy feat. I want to use this scholarship as an opportunity to remind other people with dsyautonomia that they can do anything they set their mind to. That they are not confined to the preordained limits of their condition. And that through it all, they are seen, heard, and supported, if not by others, then surely by me.
Thank you for taking the time to read my story and understand my mission for this scholarship. I hope you are feeling as inspired as I am to support and spread awareness about the dysautonomia community.
With love,
Nadia Armstrong
The N. R. Armstrong Scholarship 