'But You Don’t Look Sick'

Congratulations to rare disease advocate Victoria Graham, who competed in Saturday’s Miss Maryland Pageant. Graham, of Manchester, Maryland, has multiple health conditions, including Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS). EDS weakens a person’s connective tissue and can cause dislocated joints, heart valve problems and other serious medical problems. Graham, who just graduated from college, has had 10 brain and spinal surgeries. She made “the challenges of invisible disabilities” her educational platform, having often heard people say, “But you don’t look sick.” She says she strives to be “a living example, to live beyond a diagnosis, unlimited by an illness.”