Hi! I’m so happy you’re here! :)  My name is Kerissa, and I live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.  When I was born, the doctors found a benign mass in the bottom of my right foot.  Through the years, it would always flare up once in a while, making walking painful.  I was so shy as a child…I hated going to the doctor to get it checked out.  In high school, I started breaking out of my shell. I specifically remember planning: "I’ll have foot surgery, graduate from high school, work towards my goal of becoming a doctor, volunteer in the NICU, etc.”  So I had the surgery, and little did I know that nothing would ever be the same.

My right foot was diagnosed with a rare pain condition called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome.  It was so very painful that even bed sheets caused severe pain…  CRPS quickly spread to all my other limbs, which is atypical.  My pain doctor at OHSU was convinced something more serious was going on.  Long story short, I soon started dealing with many other symptoms.  After seeing multiple specialists in Oregon and other states (Cincinnati, OH, San Diego & Pasadena, CA, and Seattle, WA), I was diagnosed with numerous rare conditions, including a disabling disorder called Mitochondrial DNA Depletion Syndrome.