All About Me

Alright, let me get something straight here: yes, I am chronically ill. Yes I have invisible illnesses. But I am just as awesome as everyone else on this planet. My name? You can call me Lin Jay, or LJ for short(er.) I am a fangirl, a writer, artist, film buff, nerd, Japan lover, and so many more things that I can't explain it all here. Before I go any further, I should explain that I'm not going to give technical definitions of my conditions. My goal in writing this is to explain it as plainly as possible, and to show the awesomeness that is me. Okay? Okay! Let's continue.

I have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a connective tissue disorder which comes about from a 'genetic mutation mess-up' as it was explained to me. This isn't an illness or disease, my body was just made differently and got messed up in the process. As a result, there isn't a normal part in my body. My joints are extremely loose; I can push my shoulders halfway out of joint, my hips pop in and out as I walk, and don't get me started on how easy it is to dislocated my thumbs. I have dysautonomia, my autonomic nervous system (the system which regulate temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, among other things) is failing. This translates to an inability to warm up in cold temperatures and cool down in hot temps. Absolutely wonderful when you live in Texas! -_- I also have problems with poor circulation of blood, my blood pools in my feet when I stand. And without the right medicine and hydration, if I get up too fast my heart rate can go up to 186 while my blood pressure drops to 90/59. Needless to say I've fainted before... wouldn't suggest it to anyone! But I don't mind, it's one more thing to help push me to stay healthy. Unfortunately though, healthy for me is very different.

To start with, I've had to adapt something in pretty much every aspect of my life. My siblings were all homeschooled because my mom thought it'd be better to have a personalized learning experience, but when I came around, despite my want to go to public school, I stayed homeschooled because I have to go to doctor's appointments so often. When I do anything that requires fine motor skills (using utensils, drawing, writing, etc.) I either use weights on the object or on my wrist or sometimes even both because of a tremor and weakness in my hands. My ankles are so weak and loose that I can't wear heels; I don't mind though, I like high tops and combat/ platform boots way better. I use a wheelchair for long distances because I don't have as much stamina as I should ( it's related to a different condition then the EDS). My life is different, but that doesn't mean I'm worthless despite being different. In fact, I kinda like being different.

Sure, being different can be hard at points, but I'm me and that's the way I want it to be. My ultimate dream? To direct a film that wins the 'best feature film' Oscar, or the animation equivalent. Pixar Animation Studios or Weta Digital, those are my dream workplaces. My absolutely most insane dreams? To become an Avenger and help take down Loki, or have a real-life Pokemon battle. Wouldn't it be cool to see Arceus looming over the city? (Actually, I don't think that'd be too fun. Having the god of pokemon standing in front of you seems intimidating, how about a battle between Gengar and Lucario?) My 'not quite as crazy but really more of bucket list' dreams ate many in number, so here's the top six in no particular order:

1. Meet Kyaru Pamyu Pamyu and try on crazy outfits together!

2. Be in the Rooster Teeth series RWBY!

3. Get to be a companion in a Doctor Who episode.

4. Go to Vidcon and hang out with all my favorite YouTubers.

5. Get to voice my OC in an episode of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.

6. Meet the absolutely AMAZING Blackgryph0n, maybe have a jam session even though I'm not really a singer, but more importantly get to thank him for his music!

As you can see, I've got big dreams. Some of them are absolutely absurd, but hey! A girl can dream, and this one isn't going to let anything take that away.