Hello, my name is Lynn Whited and I love your company. I love the fact you are embracing women, yet the real side, the imperfect side. This is the side that most will not talk about...the struggles, the pain, the heartaches, the ups & downs, but most of all...the disasters that also make us individual, strong, & the resilient women we are.
I am now 42 years old (43 in May) but as we all know, most stuff starts when we are young only to make things worse on us as we get older. I was born with a blood condition but it only really showed it's ugly head when I had my daughter. It nearly killed us both, but of course no one really knew what was happening because according to doctors, even today...we just don't know enough about blood. I had pre-eclampsia making me give birth to her at 7 months. She weighed 2lbs. 5oz. With her in neonatal care, three days later....I had my first blood clot in my right leg. We both fought & were hospitalized for 4 months. We both came home & my daughter exceeded everything they said she wouldn't. Two years later, I had my son. He was only a month early & I was on a blood thinners the whole pregnancy. We thought it all was gonna be fine. Three days later, I couldn't breathe & was coughing blood.... I had a blood clot the size of a softball in my lung. Fluke again? I fought it for 6 months only getting to visit my son when my family brought him as much as possible. Before I was released, the teams of doctors told me they had no idea what happened but if it kept up I wouldn't live 5 years past the birth of my son.
Fast forwarding through many, many, many blood clots, so much pain, so many doctors, many hospitals, and of course the many mutations of my blood condition. My daughter is now 24 & my son is 22. Both are healthy, beautiful & strong. I have fought so hard to "try" to live a normal life. I will tell you I am blessed with so much strength, love, & will power. In May of last year, they had to amputate my right leg below my knee due to clots in my arteries that had done so much damage, the arteries collapsed. My foot died. After the many scrapes with death, some broken bones, and all the blood clots...I thought I would face this with the same strength I have always fought with. I will wholeheartedly admit, I was not prepared for any of it & it has taken so very much strength to keep facing each day. First blow was they were only going to remove right above the ankle but awoke to half of my calf down removed. They said the decay has spread & so many nerves were damaged. Ok, I got this. I had surgery on a Friday & by Sunday was taking myself to the bathroom. By Tuesday, they released me and I could do everything for myself but change my bandage. I kept forcing myself forward even though you had to cry sometimes because of the way it so changes your life. Plus, every time I thought we were making progress, there was always a set back. By October, I had gone septic due to pouches in my stump that would not drain.
On October 26th, I underwent emergency surgery where they had to remove a little more and I had to start over...again. I married my husband now in 2006. I raised his two daughters & son with my children. In 2018, we adopted four more children who were victims from abuse & parents who did drugs. I tell you this because their love & strength is what has pushed me through all of this. My first five are grown & amazing. The other four are getting close to grown but have changed and blossomed beautifully. My husband has been so much of a rock like them...I have pushed through & happy to announce that after almost 8 months, I took my first steps on the 20th. I now have my semi-permanent prosthetic and pushing myself to walk. I will walk, I will drive, and I will try everyday to do more. Yes, I will cry. Yes, I will still be in pain. And yes, I am a Beautiful Disaster that will keep going like a storm. No matter what life has thrown, I have made it fighting & screaming...always a disaster. I hope that I can inspire someone who needs hope as much as I do...but like a Beautiful Disaster.
Thank you for this opportunity to share. I know it is a long story, but I believe it is a long story of strength.
