Maggie's introduction to thetinynurse blog starts with: "My real name is Regina but please call me Maggie! Maggie is actually a nickname I’ve had since literally the day I was born. I can tell you that fun short story later. I am 24-years-old and I am probably one of the shortest people you will virtually meet. I’m 4’9” over here, no, actually down here, and yes, I get the question, “are you tall enough to be a nurse?” from time to time. I just respond, “maybe not, but my license qualifies me to be one!” Patients really get a kick out of that. I grew up in a Filipino household w ..read more

Courtney Saenz reported on the following story about Dorcus Osho, RN and Dr. Idowu (pictured above). "Osho recalls her childhood as being limited, surrounded by her parents and teachers who would take extensive precautions to prevent triggers of pain and keep her safe. She regularly visited the hospital for countless blood transfusions and for treatment of infections that routinely impacted her." “It was soul-crushing, because I couldn’t partake in sports or run as fast as the other kids. I was told not to do anything that involved physical activity,” Osho said. Transitioning from children’s ..read more

  Amazon.com states, "To the outside world, Emily looks like a typical girl, with a normal family, living an ordinary life. But inside, Emily does not feel typical, and the older she gets, the more she realises that she is different. As she finally discovers when she is 16, Emily is autistic. Girl Unmasked is the extraordinary story of how she got there - and how she very nearly didn't. Still only 21, Emily writes with startling candour about the years leading up to her diagnosis. How books and imagination became her refuge as she sought to escape the increasing anxiety and unbearable st ..read more

  Lakeisha Jacobs, RN shared her story in an article for "Living with Amplitude". "I was always an overweight child, weighing 280 pounds when I was only 11. I had respiratory problems and was not as active as I should have been. And my brother and I grew up poor in a single mother’s household, so we ate only what we could afford. That included too many carbohydrates and sugary drinks."   "Before I reached my 12th birthday, I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I can remember the doctors actually scratching their heads. Back then, it was uncommon for anyone under 40 years old to ..read more

  Hi all! I wanted to let Exceptional Nurse followers know that I am now writing on Substack along with blogging here (that is not changing). If you are interested in a "deeper dive" into disability related issues of today, please consider subscribing. It is free and I would love your support. https://substack.com/@exceptionalnurse/note/p-151946089?utm_source=notes-share-action&r=xs4hq With thanks,  Donna ..read more

  Let's get this done! Donna ..read more

  Annaka Haynes shared her journey in a "CF Community Blog" post. "Managing nursing school and my health has been one of the hardest challenges I have ever taken on. Nursing school is difficult on its own, but adding a chronic lung disease on top of it doesn’t make it any easier. I had amazing results after I first started Trikafta, and my lungs continued to respond well to the medication. Sometimes I would forget that I had CF, and it was nice to forget. During my first year of college, I tried to do everything my roommates were doing — and often ended up sick. Living in the dorms prob ..read more

  Lili Sheppard reported this story for BBC News, Somerset. "An ex-nurse is attempting to set a new world record by travelling from John O’Groats to Land's End in 45 days using a standard wheelchair." "Army veteran Lexi Chambers has fibromyalgia and complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) - with the latter resulting in her leg being amputated three years ago." "She has four world records to her name and hopes to add another in her upcoming fundraiser called End 2 End The Rugby Relay." "My goal is to inspire by demonstrating that despite adversity, achieving dreams is possible," said Ms ..read more

People magazine reported this story written by Hilary Shenfeld. It was published on October 5, 2024. "Nurse Dalton Cummins can truly relate to his oncology patients at Riley Hospital for Children. After all, he was once a patient there himself, battling two different forms of cancer and coming close to death more than once." "Cummins, now 24, was first diagnosed with lymphoma at age 19 after what he initially thought was a case of COVID-19. He underwent successful treatment at the Indianapolis children's hospital, only to be struck again a few months later with a different form of the diseas ..read more

  "The Situations and Solutions Finder draws on information collected from JAN customers. JAN receives this information from customers who choose to provide feedback, usually in an email or through an ongoing survey conducted by JAN where employers contribute information about workplace accommodations. Participating employers represent government agencies and diverse industry sectors, including healthcare, education, manufacturing, service, wholesale/retail sales, etc., and span from very small businesses to global corporations. According to JAN survey findings, workplace accommodations a ..read more