06/22/2026
đź’ś My Journey with Fibromyalgia đź’ś
There was a time when I woke up every morning without thinking about pain.
I went to work.
I made plans.
I looked forward to tomorrow.
I never imagined that my life would change in 2013.
It began with pain from endometriosis. At first, I believed the pain would eventually pass. Doctors searched for answers, appointments became routine, and hope rose and fell with every test.
In 2014, I underwent a hysterectomy.
I prayed that the surgery would give me my life back.
Instead, the pain remained.
Determined not to give up, I returned to work. I wanted my normal life back. I wanted to do the things I had always done.
But my body had changed.
Standing became painful.
Sitting became painful.
Tasks that once felt simple suddenly became difficult.
Each day became a struggle to make it through my shift.
In March 2014, I faced one of the hardest decisions of my life.
I had to leave my job.
Walking away from work was not something I wanted to do. It was something I had to do.
Over the years, I underwent several procedures on my back, hoping that one treatment would finally bring relief.
Every procedure came with hope.
Every disappointment brought tears.
For an entire year, I cried.
I grieved the life I once had.
I grieved the activities I could no longer do.
I grieved the independence I thought I had lost.
The pain affected me physically, emotionally, and mentally.
Eventually, I sought mental health counseling.
I needed help navigating a life that looked very different from the one I had planned.
Little by little, things began to change.
Not my body.
Not the pain.
But my mind.
My faith.
My perspective.
I learned that healing is not always physical.
Sometimes healing begins in the heart.
Sometimes healing begins in the mind.
Today, I am stronger mentally and spiritually than I have ever been.
Physically, I still fight fibromyalgia every day.
Some days are better than others.
Some days require rest.
Some days require grace.
But I continue to move forward.
One of the greatest blessings in my journey has been helping others.
When I feel well enough, I share information, encouragement, and resources with people who are struggling.
I write.
I mentor.
I tutor.
I encourage.
Helping others gives purpose to my pain.
Many people see my smile.
What they don’t always see are the difficult nights, the painful mornings, or the battles that happen behind closed doors.
But I smile anyway.
Not because the pain is gone.
Not because life became easy.
I smile because God has carried me through every difficult day.
Fibromyalgia changed my life.
But it did not take my faith.
It did not take my purpose.
And it did not take my ability to encourage others.
My journey with fibromyalgia is still being written.
And as long as I have breath, I will continue to share hope, one day at a time.
Written by
Shantay Marsh Thompson
“Pain may have changed my life, but it did not change my purpose.”
