In Emily’s first and second years of high school, she enrolled in a certificate program for The Moth, a brilliant story-telling organization, offering participants an opportunity to share both life-changing or interesting, personal experiences. “Hearing these stories made me think, Wow! What a strong person to have gone through that. I found it engaging and a way to present myself to others — all by telling a story.”

And what stories she has to tell. Emily shares her difficult journey with a chronic disease, diagnosed when she was ten and in the fifth grade. Coming to grips with the implications, impact, side effects, and treatment was tough. Her doctor prescribed medication and assured her that although the disease wouldn't go away, it would heal progressively. She learned how to manage and live with the symptoms, enabling her to join the friends she had been avoiding, and to live a full and joyous life.