Maria Elias

I didn’t know that I wanted to be a mother until I began working in a preschool. It was very difficult to take care of a lot of kids, but I knew my husband and I could handle one. When I began to want to have a child, I discovered that I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, PCOS, and a heart shaped uterus, both of which make the process of having a child very difficult. I was scared and didn’t know if I could even get pregnant since I had two separate diagnoses affecting my body. But then a miracle happened, and my daughter was born in 2024. I had a hard time during the postpartum period, but knew I wanted to eat better and lose weight to be healthier for my daughter. I lost 60 pounds in less than 6 months, all by walking daily and working with a nutritionist. But soon after, the pain came on quickly. When my daughter was 10 months old, I was diagnosed with Ehler’s Danlos Syndrome, EDS, a connective tissue disorder. The pain in my hands was unbearable. I went to art school, which necessitated that I used my hands in order to create my art. I’ve learned to live with the pain now, through Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy, to strengthen my body. Through all the trials since my diagnosis, I feel proud of what I’ve accomplished, and my goal now is to be an athletic mom who can keep up with a toddler!