ABOUT ME
My name is Morgan Gleason, and I am 19 years old, I am from Tampa, Florida and I am in my second year of college at Auburn University. I have a lot of experience in the healthcare world. My healthcare story began when I was 11 years old and was diagnosed with a systemic autoimmune disease called Juvenile Dermatomyositis (JDM). The main symptoms of JDM are weak or painful muscles, joint pain, skin rash, fatigue and fever. This disease is very rare and only affects 1 to 3 in a million people per year. To learn more about this disease, visit the website CureJM.org. The Cure JM Foundation is very important to me, and it is the only non-profit that exists to find a cure for JM and to improve the lives of families affected by JM.
Before I was diagnosed in June of 2010, I was a fairly normal kid. I was a cheerleader and had never had any major health issues aside from a few broken bones caused by my clumsiness. As a cheerleader and gymnast, I was very active and physically fit. I was very good at tumbling and was able to flip and run around. However, towards the end of my cheerleading “career”, I started getting very weak and wasn’t able to do all of my flips and stunts. My mom believed that I was just having a mental block that came from my broken elbow a few months before. This is what any parent would think, right? Why would you ever have a reason to believe that your normal 11 year old could have a very serious disease?
Now that we look back, everything adds up and makes sense with the diagnosis. All within a short timeframe, I had begun to develop a rash on my elbows and knees, and I was getting very weak. At the time, we just thought that the red patches on my joints were rug burn. I was also complaining of frequent headaches, stomachaches, and things of that nature. So in May of 2010, my mom took me to a dermatologist to look at the strange rash on my knees and elbows. The doctor believed that I had eczema or psoriasis and needed a biopsy to confirm the diagnosis for the insurance to approve of treatment. They took the biopsy, and that was my first real experience with needles or doctors. We were all shocked when the results came back as Dermatomyositis. So on June 18, 2010, my world flipped upside down for better or worse. Within the next few months, we went through the process of finding multiple doctors for each of my specific needs. I was no longer able to tumble or cheer. I am very thankful that the disease never progressed to the point of me becoming wheelchair bound as many other JDM kids were.
All of this healthcare experience has shaped my life and my goals for my career. At the age of 15, I made a YouTube video that went viral, and that video led to me being invited to speak about my experience. I am very passionate about improving healthcare, and I have done a lot of speaking and writing on the subject. I look forward to continuing my education so that I can continue to inspire and create change in healthcare.
I have always loved horses, and my dream like many other girls, was to have a horse of my own. I began to take horseback riding lessons as my replacement hobby. I quickly caught on and haven’t looked back since. I had a wish granted from Make a Wish, and my only wish was for a horse of my own. So in the fall of 2011, I got my very own horse called Emerson. Owning him gave me great responsibility, as well as a safe haven to escape after a stressful day at school. In the winter of 2012, we traded Emerson and got my current pony Riley. I love riding horses, and I hope I will always have an opportunity to do so.
