Ruby.

It feels to me as if someone has removed all my skin down to like the muscle

and then covered me in a wool blanket, like a mohair blanket.

The thought of this world not having her in it, that's just unbearable.

They'll be in this kind of cycle of trying to find relief and really suffering and

ending up in the emergency room or urgent care.

And you're always looking over your shoulder.

When is this going to happen again?

How terrifying would it be to fight an unknown enemy?

One you didn't recognize and didn't see coming.

What if that enemy was coming from within?

A disease that even doctors couldn't identify.

Nearly half of Americans suffer from some chronic illness and many struggle for an accurate diagnosis.

These are their stories. I'm Lauren Brad Pacheco, and this is Symptomatic.

My name is Kristen Willard. I am the executive director at WeCU, which is a U.S. nonprofit.

And I also oversee education for an organization called GAP, the Global

Allergy and Airways Patient Platform. An excellent listener full of curiosity about others.

Kristen is one of those people who immediately feels like an old friend. She loves dogs, has a

thirst for knowledge, and is driven by a desire to help others.

Kristen, where are you originally from?

I grew up in northern New Jersey, which I think is one of the most wonderful places on the

planet to grow up, despite what you might hear from New Yorkers.

...