Lisha Taylor and Leah Freeman are a mother and daughter duo who spoke with the Missouri on Mic team at the Daniel Boone Regional Library in February.
They spoke about a health challenge they both share – fibromyalgia, and about a few of the ways this chronic disease impacts their daily life.
You can find more Missouri on Mic conversations on kbia.organd hear them by tuning in to 91.3 FM on Mondays.
Missouri Health Talks gathers Missourians’ stories of access to healthcare in their own words.
Leah Freeman: I think a challenge that we've both encountered – that has impacted us a lot – is that we both have a chronic illness called fibromyalgia.
Lisha Taylor: Yeah…
Leah: …and basically that just means like, we're in pain – 25/8. It’s very extreme. Like, imagine your period pain…
Lisha: Mhmm.
Leah: Like the cramps that you feel – all over. From head to toe. That's us. 25/8.
And with me, like coming out of high school – I graduated in 2020. I wanted to go to school. I wanted to be a nurse because, you know, like I said, we love helping people.
But I can hardly stand on my feet for too long. Like even taking a shower feels like a chore sometimes.
Lisha: Yep. It do.
Leah: Like walking through the library like I am right now – like it hurts. A lot, and, I mean, she has it worse because she had the hybrid cancer, lung cancer. Has been through like a lot of health issues.
Lisha: Yeah, I been through a lot.
Leah: So, I have not gone to that extreme, but I do have the pain, and I had to figure out what I wanted to do because there's not much I can't do, you know what I mean?
So, I did find a passion in the beauty industry. I know I don't like too good right now…
Laughter.
Leah: But I do love it. I love to uplift people.
Lisha: Yeah. Me too.
Leah: Like I wanted to start a YouTube channel. So, I started one – it's not big. It's really small, but I just wanted to gain the confidence to just post even if nobody's watching it. Just knowing that, you know, you're completing your goal – posting.
So, she has fibromyalgia too, and it's a struggle for her. So, I guess you could talk about that too…
Lisha: Yes, I have – I have been having fibromyalgia since –
Leah: My whole life.
Lisha: … About 17 years.
Leah: Yeah.
Lisha: I’m in excruciating pain. It hurts from head to toe. Fingers.
Leah: Yeah.
Lisha: Every part of my body hurts.
Leah: Toes!
Lisha: Toes, and…
Leah: Like individually – each individual toe.
Lisha: So, my battles with that is – I thank God for giving me strength because by me having five children, you know, I have to be able to take care of my family.
And God has helped me through this, you know? Still working on me, and I'm still strong, but I will say…
Leah: You’re getting through it.
Lisha: There you go... I'm getting through it.
Leah: The pandemic? Hmmm. It was bad, but I don't know anybody close to us that, you know, got sick.
Lisha: Granny.
Leah: Oh, yeah! Grandma and Aunt Lisha did get sick.
Lisha: Yeah. Our grandmother is – well, my grandmother is...
Leah: She’s eighty –
Lisha: She's 87.
Leah: Yeah.
Lisha: She ended up getting sick and then she had a…
Leah: She was in hospital for a while.
Lisha: Yeah, but um…
Leah: But I don't know what she had.
Lisha: She had COVID. But yeah, she was in there for like seven days and…
Leah: We didn’t get COVID, and I’m because I know, like if my mom were to get COVID, she probably would – God forbid – pass away away because her immune system can’t handle that.
But we, we hardly go anywhere anyway.
Laughter.
Leah: So, we didn't get sick at all, and it's been like two years or so – still haven't gotten sick. Thank the Lord…
Laughter.
