As far as I’ve been told, I’ve had CLOVES pretty much ever since the day I was born. I’ve always felt physically different compared to others around me for my entire childhood, even to this day as a rising college sophomore. Trying to fit into certain clothes (any bottoms specifically) & shoes (especially) has always been a struggle. Seeing others take practically no effort to look “normal” never stops and hurts me emotionally every day. I’ve been picked on and made fun of, multiple times in the past, and it’s so hard when you feel like you’re the only one and when no one around you feels your pain because they’re all physically “normal” and don’t have anything wrong with them.
Even though we’re all different here, at the end of the day, we still have something in common, which is the shared diagnosis of CLOVES Syndrome. Discovering CLOVES Syndrome Community and learning more about it has definitely brought a lot of ease into my life. As I mentioned earlier, I’ve always felt really alone with CLOVES. Everyone else around me doesn’t have a rare condition, but learning more about CLOVES Syndrome Community has made me feel a lot more accepting of my diagnosis and has really made me feel like I’m part of an actual community I never knew existed. So thank you!!