By now you’ve met Sarah & Lauren, Charity & Kelly, and Nicole & Sandra. All are strong, driven, amazing women who also happen to cope with an illness. Like you, and me, they have ups and downs, they also have some incredible insights that have been included in Chronic Resilience. Each chapter highlights the story of a woman who exemplifies the ability we have to face of persistent obstacles with grace and resilience. Now it’s time to meet Sharmyn (chapter 7) and Mari (chapter 9).
Sharmyn McGraw
Sharmyn and I got to meet in person on a glorious sunny Southern California morning. Her enthusiasm and smile is infectious. We sat together over tea for her to tell me her story, and it will blow your mind. In one year, Sharmyn went from a size 2 to a size 22. She was tired, had mood swings, lost hair and had a rash. She knew something was really, really wrong. Unfortunately, she couldn’t get a doctor to listen to her. They dismissed her symptoms as anxiety and overeating and gave her an antidepressant. For seven years she visited a myriad of doctors and received no answers all while her symptoms got worse. Eventually, Sharmyn realized she was going to need to find the answer herself. She pulled all of her medical records and put the puzzle together to discover that she had Cushing’s Disease which results from a pituitary brain tumor. We talked about how empowering it can be to learn everything you can about your health and healing. She has been featured on Mystery Diagnosis, The Montel Williams Show and Women’s Day. Sharmyn now supports others with hormone disorders. You can find her at www.Hormones411.com. Sharmyn will also be joining me for our San Diego Book Launch Party.
Watch Sharmyn’s Story on EmpowerHER:
Mari Ruddy
Mari is an endurance athlete. She also happens to have type 1 diabetes and is a two (yes two) time breast cancer survivor. The discipline and determination Mari has is kick-you-in-the-pants inspiring. She is an advocate of being an athlete first and someone who has chronic illness second. She founded Team Wild Athletics to support, train and motivate people with diabetes to run marathons, do triathlons and bike races. Years ago, after a high blood sugar wake-up call, Mari got connected with an endocrinologist and cycling coach who assisted her to ride across the state of Colorado. After that she was hooked. Mari is an expert at knowing how to plan her nutrition and training to support her goals and her diagnosis. She gave me all her best tips about cultivating discipline for 
chapter 9. If you sometimes struggle to do what you know is best for you, you need to read Mari’s story. Visit www.TeamWildAthletics.com.
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