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I used to think friendship was mostly built in the easy moments. The late-night conversations. The spontaneous plans. The inside jokes that made no sense to anyone else. The celebrations, adventures, and memories that filled up our calendars. But chronic pain taught me something different: the strongest friendships are not always the ones built when life is easy. They are the ones that remain when life gets complicated. When my symptoms first started, I didn’t understand what

If I could sit down with the younger version of myself, the girl who spent years going from doctor to doctor looking for answers, I know exactly what I would tell her. Not because I have all the answers now. But because there are things I spent years believing that simply weren't true. If you're in the middle of your own search for answers, I hope these are the five things you need to hear today. 1. Your pain is not "all in your head." Keep going back. There were so many appo

I spent years searching for answers before I was finally diagnosed with Chiari Malformation. During that time, I became really good at being prepared. I never knew when a headache would hit, how long it would last, or what might make it a little more manageable. So before I left the house, I made sure my bag had a few essentials. None of these things treated what was actually causing my headaches. They were simply the things that helped me get through school, college, church,

People ask me sometimes, "How did you manage for so long?" The honest answer? I don't know. When you're living with symptoms every single day, you don't really get to choose whether you're going to keep going. Life doesn't stop because you're waiting for a diagnosis. I was just trying to be a normal teenager. I wanted to go to school, hang out with my friends, cheer at games, study for tests, and eventually make it through college. Instead, I was constantly trying to figure o

I didn’t realize it at the time, but I had gotten used to not being believed. Not all at once. It happened slowly. One appointment at a time. One “everything looks normal” at a time. One moment of trying to explain what was going on inside my body and watching it get brushed off And after a while… you start to adjust to that. You start to prepare for it. I remember going into doctor’s appointments and trying so hard to explain myself clearly. I would think through everything

I was fourteen when I first remember thinking, something doesn't feel right. It started with headaches. Not the occasional headache everyone gets, but headaches that became part of my normal life. The kind that made me keep ibuprofen nearby because I knew there was a good chance I'd need it before the day was over. I'd be sitting in class when a familiar pressure would settle at the base of my skull. At the time, I didn't think much of it. I was fourteen. I assumed it would e

When people hear the words Chiari Malformation, most of them pause. It sounds complicated, unfamiliar, and a little intimidating. I usually follow it up with a simple explanation, but the truth is, no short definition ever really captures what it feels like to live with it. Chiari Malformation is a neurological condition where the lower part of the brain, the cerebellar tonsils, extend into the spinal canal. In simple terms, part of my brain sits lower than it should, which c

My name is Lori Baca, and I'm an author whose writing is shaped by my faith in Christ and my journey through chronic illness. For years, I've dreamed about sharing my story—not because it's extraordinary, but because I know what it's like to feel unseen, unheard, and desperate for hope. At fourteen years old, I began experiencing symptoms that no one could fully explain. What started as headaches eventually became years of chronic pain, endless doctor appointments, misdiagnos