spillthebeans

All of my earliest memories involve doctors’ offices. I have missed more Christmas Eve services than I have attended due to my apparent inability to recover from the common cold. I have a disease that even most doctors have never heard of. I am a full-time college student. When I was ten, my life ambition was to be a ballerina. Now, I just want to be able to live independently. My name is Susanna Karth and I have Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. And a lot of other things too. Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) is a hereditary, genetic, neurological disorder that causes sensory and motor function loss. Basically, my genetic code has a flaw in it that allows blockage to build up in my nerves (yes, directly in my nerves, I had no idea that could happen). The result is a disconnect between my brain and my muscles because my nerves can’t pass on signals. There are multiple ways that CMT can be inherited, and some types are worse than others, but all of them are incurable. In addition to CMT, I also have...

I’ve recently been made aware of the vlogging duo that is Hank and John Green. (You may know John Green from his book The Fault in Our Stars , which I hope to read very soon.) They talk about a variety of subjects, and seem to really understand teenagers. Plus, they’re hilarious. Overall, they’re pretty awesome. But what I didn’t know was that Hank actually has a chronic disease—ulcerative colitis. I was browsing the Green brothers’ channel one day and was honestly really surprised to see this video. I was instantly intrigued. I watched the whole thing, and I so appreciate how real and transparent he was. Every point he made resonated with me and made me wish the whole world could hear this video. I’d have to say that it’s one of the most accurate summaries of the aspects of living with a chronic illness that I’ve ever seen. So whether you’re struggling to understand what it’s like for someone you know who has a chronic illness, or you have one yourself and just would like a little va...

“We are cups, constantly and quietly being filled. The trick is knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out.”  -Ray Bradbury Whew. What a start for this blog. The encouragement and outpouring of support from you guys has been incredible and unexpected. Thank you. Thank you so much. It means the world to me that you already like this blog and want to see it succeed—after all, I do too. Tuesday was a flurry of excitement as I started the blog and had inspiration bursting out of my veins and onto the screen. It was amazing. After months of lying dormant, my creativity was awakened. I accomplished something. But now I’m kind of in a rut. It’s the letdown after a huge rollercoaster high of amazing comments and likes and pageviews and getting to hear all of your stories. But now I’m just like… now what? Where do I go from here? I have so many ideas, so many thoughts, and I don’t know where to begin. I could talk about my doctor’s appointment earlier today, which, w...