In 2017, I became chronically ill due to chemical exposure in the workplace called hydrazine. At the same time, I moved out of state to start a PhD program at Boston College. All my doctors told me, “You’ll be back to normal in 2 weeks; it’s just anxiety,” so I kept pushing myself, working 100-hour weeks for an entire year before I burned myself out and had to drop out of school.
I started slowly making progress in my health again and began consulting for a biotech company doing POTS and ME/CFS research. I then started running a research department at a genomics company in Cambridge.
In 2021, I moved to a new apartment that had mold and fresh paint that I was sensitive to (despite not previously noticing any environmental sensitivities). I developed fibromyalgia pain, had to leave my jobs, lost my apartment, moved back home with my parents, and my girlfriend couldn’t handle it anymore and walked out on me. Because of my sensitivity to air quality, I have to sleep outside, even in the winter.
However, I learned a lot about my illness through my research and speaking to others in the community and felt I had something to offer. So, I conducted my own citizen research for a few years before sharing my findings in a YouTube video. I’ve received tremendously positive feedback from the community that really connected with the novel mechanism I proposed and support/believe in it. I recently also spoke with Linda Tannenbaum, who was moved enough to share my findings with the rest of the OMF research team. Despite my severe, ongoing symptoms, I continue to try to find ways to help the community and make a difference.
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