@jennythebendynp
Hi, my name is Jenny (@jennythebendynp), I'm a nurse practitioner, and I'm passionate about disability advocacy and invisible illness awareness. Two years ago, I was a healthy 29-year-old, when all of a sudden I just wasn’t anymore. I got extremely sick with a mystery illness that countless doctors could not explain. I was too sick to work and lost my job. I spent a year doing every medical test imaginable, being told by many doctors that it was all in my head, or that I just couldn’t handle being a working mother. I started to believe them and thought I was going crazy. I was very close to giving up, but being a nurse taught me how to advocate for myself and how to search for answers where there are no obvious ones. I eventually did get answers and was diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), and Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a genetic connective tissue disorder that weakens my skin, joints, and blood vessels. After being out of work for a year, I started a new job two weeks before COVID-19 hit our area. Working in healthcare during a pandemic while learning to manage chronic illness has been hard, but the Northwell Health Nurse Choir has been a big part of saving my mental health through it all. I use all my spoons and then some every day, but the sheer joy I have found in the choir has given me back a little bit of myself. After these terrible couple of years, I have the amazing opportunity to come together with this choir of nurses and share our joy of singing with others, and inspire hope for better days to come. It inspired me to make my page @jennythebendynp public to share my story and give hope to others with chronic illnesses. Follow @northwellhealthnursechoir for our journey on this season of America’s Got Talent.
