Wendy’s guest is Forest Dimaggio and the two of them go WAY back — all the way to kindergarten! Forest shares her journey of five years, 21 doctors, innumerable misdiagnoses and zero relief before she was finally diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2010.

While the news was far from ideal, the moment of diagnosis was actually a huge relief — Forest finally had an answer that made sense.

And while there was genuine relief in having the answer, there was also grief and feelings of loss with her diagnosis. Forest dealt with extreme feelings of loneliness and a bunch of life changes that happened quite quickly, one atop another. There was treatment, the physical and neurological side effects of that treatment, changes in her living situation and in her relationships.

Ultimately, she embraced this new identity, even changing her name to suit.

In this conversation with Wendy, Forest shares words of wisdom for others who might be struggling with a life-changing diagnosis. If you or someone you love could benefit, please find Forest’s podcast, Life, with a Splash of Lyme, and share it far and wide.

If you're ready for some tools to navigate your own feelings of grief and loss, contact Grief Coach Wendy Sloneker for a complimentary consultation. You'll find her at her website, wendysloneker.com.