Ep. 73 Jean Abbott: From Misdiagnosed & Misunderstood to Independent & Grateful
As a young girl, Jean Abbott was diagnosed with a form of cerebral palsy called spastic diplegia. She grew up learning to cope with daily health challenges and struggled to do everyday tasks. The struggles continued into her adult years where she spent more than a decade not being able to stand on her own.
After 33 years of countless doctors visits, medications and surgeries, she went to yet another doctor and heard three words that changed her life forever: “You’ve been misdiagnosed.” She was then given the correct diagnosis of DRD (dopa-responsive dystonia), a condition that can be effectively treated with medication that has the ability to restore physical functionality. Through it all, Jean keeps a positive mindset and says she wouldn't change what happened to her.
In this episode of Flip Your Script with Kristi Piehl, Jean talks about her passion for sharing her story of misdiagnosis and the importance of support systems and resiliency.
CLOSING QUOTE
“Everything happens for a reason.”