This May I am participating in Dazzle Walk 2022 to raise money for The Ehlers-Danlos Support UK.

May is also EDS/HSD awareness month, so will also be raising much needed awareness for Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder. I was diagnosed with Hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome also known as hEDS in 2019 after experiencing many symptoms, chronic pain and fighting for a diagnosis for 10 years. 

EDS is a rare genetic condition. It affects the collagen throughout the whole body and can cause a wide range of issues including pain, dislocations, digestive and skin problems as well as many other conditions alongside it which are called comorbidities. There are 13 different types of EDS. 

Medical students are taught 'when you hear hoofbeats don't think zebras'. This is a way of teaching them to don't automatically jump to the rare disease and to go through with the more common conditions first. This leads to many people having to fight for a diagnosis and the process can get quite long. But some people are zebras. Zebras are out there. People with EDS are zebras. A group of zebras is called a dazzle, this is why the fundraising event is called the Dazzle walk 

I would like to be able to give back and fundraise for EDS UK, so they can carry on the amazing work they do such as providing support, advice and social groups for individuals with EDS and their families