Survivor Stories

SURVIVOR STORIES Dr. Krista Harrell Dr. Krista Harrell

By Liesel Schmidt

Over the past two years, life for Dr. Krista Harrell has been anything but simple. In the midst of COVID, she was diagnosed in 2020 with cervical, thoracic and lumbar herniations, which required a cervical spinal fusion surgery, as well as postural tachycardia syndrome with orthostatic hypotension (POTS). Then, 2021 brought hypermobility EDS, fibromyalgia, androgenic alopecia, bilateral tinnitus, chronic fatigue, post COVID syndrome, occipital neuralgia and finally, the possibility of multiple sclerosis—which will require monitoring for the next four years with a brain MRI every December.

With so many challenges to face on a daily basis, Harrell could easily withdraw from life—but she’s determined to do the opposite. “It’s important to focus on cultivating resilience,” says Harrell, who serves as the Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs at the University of South Alabama. “I also focus on my mindset and how I frame my situation without denial, on the gratitude I have for the love shared with me and the friends and family who went with me to endless doctors appts and procedures to advocate for me. I also focus on empathy and understanding the experiences of others, nurturing kindness for myself, and acceptance of my daily life. I have to balance giving into the moment without giving up, and while I have to accept that some days might be difficult, accepting does not mean surrendering. It’s moving through to move forward.”

Photo credit: Stevye Murray Hair & Makeup: Elisabeth Wells

By Liesel Schmidt

FAs advanced as modern medicine might be, sometimes a diagnosis can be incredibly elusive—as was the case with Kelly Jones. “I started having problems when I was 28 years old and was sick for 15 years before anyone knew what was wrong,” says Jones, who was eventually diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis. “In 2019, my family and I had to move to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where I had a total pancreatectomy/auto islet transplant. It was a 14-hour surgery involving the removal of the pancreas and spleen as well as transplanting the islet cells into the liver. I had to live at the hospital for a few months with a feeding tube. It’s a procedure that has only been completed on a small number of patients, and it was a miracle for me. I’m now able to function normally and work with no pain, and I am so grateful for a second chance at life.”

As a pediatric dentist, Jones needs to have a clear head to work—and being free of the pain that has been part of her life for so long has been incredible for her. “Without my faith in Christ and support from family and friends, I do not know how I would have made it,” says Jones, who now participates in research studies at the University of Minnesota to further help patients with her condition and advance the successes of surgery. “I’ve also learned the importance of self-advocacy. I had to continue to fight even when others in the medical profession told me there was nothing wrong. I was told that it was so many other things than what it actually was. But I knew my body and knew something was wrong, so I never gave up hope.”

Photo credit: Andrew Crumpton