Jessica Hanson

Let’s face it, getting treatment for chronic/rare/complicated medical conditions like thyroid eye disease (TED) is incredibly expensive and a challenge for many individuals. From doctors to surgeries to travel to...

Something that became apparent in my experience with thyroid eye disease (TED) is that other people’s journeys would not be the same as mine. In my head the road map...

I am a cat lover. How much of a cat lover? (Cut to a pile of funny cat socks and last year’s holiday cards featuring my cat in a sweater.)...

Over the past 2 and a half years I have had 1 surgery to treat Graves’ disease and another 4 surgeries to address the damage caused by thyroid eye disease...

I first learned about spoon theory a few years ago. It’s a metaphor related to chronic illness that discusses the amount of energy someone has available each day. Everyone starts...

“I think I look cute.” I find myself saying this periodically these days. To anyone outside of my immediate circle, it may seem vain, but I celebrate these moments of...

Becoming a vocal advocate within the thyroid eye disease (TED) community was never something that I expected, nor frankly was it something that I initially wanted. I have been an...

I do not wear glasses all the time. I primarily need them for seeing details far away. My physical symptoms of thyroid eye disease (TED) progressed, and because I did...

Thyroid eye disease (TED) often feels very lonely. There is so much sadness and pain surrounding this disease, and it is hard for others to truly understand what individuals with...

I generally respond to stress in two different ways: I will chat about work stress, politics, and what wild thing recently happened in the autoimmune disease community that I need...

I am tired. Deep down in my bones and in my heart, I am tired. I am tired of thinking about my eyes multiple times a day. I am tired...

It is hard to find the right doctor for thyroid eye disease. I often see questions online - where do I turn? Who can diagnose me? Does my endocrinologist handle...

“What’s so scary about Graves’ disease?” I see this comment online a fair amount to which I think - "What isn’t scary about Graves’ disease?" My experience with Graves’ was...

I suffered from thyroid eye disease for years, and there was little that I could do but wait for treatment. I knew for a long time that multiple surgeries were...

If you are reading this, perhaps you or a loved one is scheduling upper eyelid surgery for thyroid eye disease (TED) and are wondering what to expect. I’m hoping that...

I must have looked like a terrified mouse when I met the endocrinologist who diagnosed me with Graves’ disease. I sat in the exam room with my heart racing and...

I’ve always been fascinated by the art of makeup, the way color, shading, and shadow can manipulate shapes. It can highlight some features while taking the focus away from others...

Something that people tell me quite frequently regarding my journey with Graves’ disease and thyroid eye disease (TED) is, "Wow, you’re so strong to have gone through all that." Honestly...

My experience with thyroid eye disease and Graves’ disease was a constant struggle. Every day was difficult, and I felt like my body was spinning wildly out of control. I...

“If I stop eating gluten will it help my thyroid eye disease symptoms?” I have seen this question posed online more times than I can recall. And I understand why...