Hi my name is Tameka, I’m currently 22 & since I was 9 I’ve struggled with an illness or injury. Since I was four I very active from gymnastics to netball & especially dance for years. When I was around 9 I first had an incident which caused a meniscus tear in my knee. This ruled out sport & dance for a period of time and began the journey of rehab & recovery. After many scans and physical therapy nothing seemed to work, eventually I was told I basically had to ‘deal with the pain until I couldn’t walk anymore’ because I was too young for surgery. This dismissal of my pain only pushed me further to recover. Once I hit high school I began playing soccer where I went on to play for years. Unfortunately during this time I did more harm than good. I further did damage to my knee dislocating it twice, broken ribs & nose, dislocated shoulder & a few broken bones. But I pushed through trying to find happiness in sport which I loved so much. Many times I had more scans, pt & again told we can’t do anything for you.
All the mean time I was dealing with a few major health issues I didn’t know I had. I had major symptoms but had no idea why & I wouldn’t find out what was wrong with me until I was 18 & still till today not fully diagnosed. Long story short, after fighting for answers, many doctors, emergency visits etc… I have pcos, endometriosis, chronic migraines, asthmatic & autoimmune disease. Plus ADHD & OCD as a cherry on top. My symptoms were so severe that at times I can’t even walk & have no vision from the amount of pain I experience. I also have pages of symptoms I unfortunately experience but I’ll leave those details out for your sake.
As of 2020 I officially could not longer participate in any sport or activities that I use to love due to my conditions. And as of June 2024 when volunteering as FAO for my local rugby league team my knee finally gave way. Fully tearing my meniscus & completely dislocated my knee. The doctors said I basically broke my leg in half due to the severity of my injury. This led to me needing a surgery and further more me losing my job as a preschool teacher as they didn’t want me at their centre anymore. I proceeded to have surgery in September of 2024 & haven’t worked since. With recovery taking longer than expected, as well as my other issues putting me in hospital and symptoms increasing in severity even causing me to pass out completely.
fast forward to May 2025 I was finally given a date for diagnostic surgery for endometriosis. In hoping to help manage my symptoms. The day of my surgery it was cancelled pushing it June.
Hopefully I find some answers and will be able to ease my symptoms so I can get back to the things I love doing and find a job to support myself.
As we all know life is hard, I continue to try and remain positive during this really difficult time. But the bills from scans, doctor visits, groceries week to week, it’s getting really hard to manage. But I don’t expect a lot just a little goes a long way which I do appreciate!!!
My dream would to be able to get back on my feet, get a job & save to purchase myself a granny flat for my parents yard. As due to my health conditions I can not live on my own, but I would love my own space
thank you to everyone who takes their time to read my story, just even spreading awareness of my conditions is more than enough for me ☺️️
