Hello, I'm Breanna Ho. I am fundraising to support Fork Friendly, a nonprofit that offers nutrition resources to make grocery shopping and menu-planning easier. I'm taking this opportunity to also bring awareness to invisible and chronic diseases, as well as the importance of advocating for your health. Invisible disabilities are hidden or nonvisible conditions that are not immediately apparent but can significantly impair one's daily life. Chronic disabilities are conditions that persist and can have long-lasting effects, generally requiring ongoing medical treatment. 

I started as a student intern with Fork Friendly in January 2022. Shortly after graduating in May 2022, I transitioned into a mentor role as I've continued to work with Fork Friendly.  My career goal is to become a Registered Dietitian because I want to help others that suffer from chronic diseases improve their health and lifestyle through nutrition. Why? I know what it's like to suffer from a chronic disease. 

In 2016, I was a sophomore in high school. I was a varsity swimmer, violinist in the Symphony Orchestra, and a straight-A student. I was an overachiever, for sure. School was my #1 priority. Not even the signs and symptoms my body exhibited could stop me from pushing myself so hard. For weeks, I dealt with fatigue, headaches, joint stiffness, and fevers. I finally went to my doctor after a headache woke me up in the middle of the night. It was so painful that all I could do was lay there and cry. Although my doctor wasn't concerned, I had bloodwork done anyway. The next day, my parents received a call that I needed to go to the ER immediately due to severe anemia. 

I spent 10 days in the hospital with a full team of doctors trying to figure out what was wrong with me. After my diagnosis, a lot changed for me. My health had to become my #1 priority, but I didn't know how to do that. I struggled to adjust my once active lifestyle to fit the new constraints of my condition, an invisible illness. I look like any other "healthy" person. Others often don't believe that I'm sick or completely forget that I have a chronic condition which makes it more difficult to get the accommodations I need. 

From these experiences, my desire to help others with chronic conditions grew. Along with this, my interest in nutrition developed as I discovered the importance of a healthy diet when dealing with a chronic condition. Eventually, my dream of becoming a pediatric oncologist switched to a dream of becoming a dietitian. Now, I'm working as a diet technician (NDTR) and earned my Master's in Business in May 2024. Within the next few months, I will be applying to dietetic internships! Slowly, but surely, I am getting closer and closer to my career goals, despite my chronic condition.

I support Fork Friendly and their efforts because they offer something I wish I had access to when I was navigating my new diagnosis. Fork Friendly provides nutrition resources that are easy to understand for the average person. Fork Friendly offers guides for eating out, grocery shopping, and menu planning ideas. What I love about Fork Friendly is that these resources aren't just for chronic conditions. They are for anyone that wants to improve their health and lifestyle! If you're interested in nutrition resources, visit www.forkfriendly.com. 

Please consider donating to Fork Friendly and sharing this with your friends and family. Our goal is to raise money to give back to the student interns who help Fork Friendly maintain and improve our guides.