What do you do when your body is screaming for help, but no one seems to hear you?
In this episode of Her Best Chapter, Michelle sits down with Avery Toomes, a poet, playwright of Your Power, soon to be Empathy Impact author, assistant editor at TRIBEZA, and… the editorial assistant here at Sulit Press!
Avery talks openly about what inspired her chapter in Empathy Impact: the years she spent in severe pain, the fear of not knowing what was happening inside her body, and the way she was constantly brushed off by doctors and her community.
Everything changed the day she learned the truth. Avery was diagnosed with a rare disease called acromegaly, caused by a benign tumor on her pituitary gland secreting growth hormone. That diagnosis explained the years of pain, the physical changes she saw in the mirror, and the sense of losing herself long before she knew why.
Avery shares what it felt like to finally be believed, her journey of diagnosis to brain surgery, her writing process as she wrote her chapter, and why she now leads with empathy in a world that often rushes to judge. Her story is brave and honest, and it speaks to anyone who has ever felt overlooked, misunderstood or alone inside their own experience.
What acromegaly is and why it is so hard to diagnose
How chronic pain affected every part of Avery's life
What it feels like to be dismissed by doctors and family
The moment she found out she had a brain tumor
How writing helped her process everything she went through
Why empathy can change the way we show up for each other
Connect with Avery → https://www.instagram.com/averylaaa
Read more of her personal writing here → https://substack.com/@averylaaa
Find her on LinkedIn → linkedin.com/in/avery-toomes
Become an author with us → https://sulitpress.com
Follow us on Instagram → @sulitpressbooks
This show is independently produced by Sulit Press. The views shared belong to the hosts and guests. Questions? Email hello@sulitpress.com.
