Embrace Your Shakti

Hello, My name is Rameshwar Chaudhary, although I go by Max. You may be wondering why I go by Max, but that will be a story for another day. I am a 26 year old man of South Asian descent. I am currently in my senior year of college.I was diagnosed with my first diagnosis, Ulcerative Colitis, 8 years ago during Thanksgiving break. This condition occurs when the body mistakes one’s colon to be a foreign body and begins to attack it. Thus resulting not only in digestive issues but physical symptoms throughout my body. A few months with this diagnosis I would get diagnosed with Graves Disease, which surprise surprise meant that my body was attacking my thyroid and which would eventually lead me to having a thyroid that no longer creates the hormones needed for me to function properly. With these conditions I went from an 18  year old excited to be starting college soon to being someone struggling to learn how to advocate for myself, in a world that fails to see that young disabled people do exist. At this tender age I was forced to take a pause and learn how to navigate the medical system, alongside finishing college applications.  I am creating this blog to share my story through tales that seem like the distant past to where I am now in my journey. I hope with each post I can reach through the screen and wrap those who are struggling with life post a diagnosis in a blanket of warmth, hope and a sense of validation. I strive to create the representation I wish I had when all these changes occurred in my life. Some topics I plan to cover but aren’t limited to are: adjusting to life after diagnosis, navigating the nauces of being disabled and a student/ employee, challenging external and internal stigmas around disability, the healing and grieving process and so much more. Some posts will be in the format of story, others through the lines of a spoken word poem. Last but not least remember to embrace your Shakti ( Strength), the strength, the creative force within you that gives you the power to shape your reality. You get to choose who your narrative defines you.

With peace and love. 

Max