Brandie Harper

Gastroparesis has had big effect on my life. One day I was perfectly fine – active, able to eat the foods that I love – and the next, I am no longer able enjoy the foods I once did. Now, everything I do I have to plan for, or take day by day. Gastroparesis has not only affected me physically, but has also affected my mental health in a tremendous way. Going from being healthy to now having an invisible chronic illness with no cure but could go into remission is definitely life changing. My goal is to always try to stay positive and optimistic about my situation and to find holistic ways to improve the quality of my life.

I advocate to bring awareness to people who currently do not have an invisible illness like gastroparesis because I want people to understand that this illness can affect anyone – children, young adults, older adults. This condition does not have an age limit. I advocate for the people with gastroparesis because we also deserve to be treated fairly and the same as people without an invisible illness. At the end of the day, we are the same people that we were before the illness, we just have to do things a little bit differently.