Considering my name is PhoenixIsAZebra, I figured I would explain what the significance of the zebra is to me and why I have them all over the place since I've been asked a number of times in my life now. 😆 I copied and pasted this from the Ehler's Danlos Society's website since they say really do say it best:
People with the Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS) and hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD) often identify themselves as zebras.
Medical students have been taught for decades that, “When you hear hoofbeats behind you, don’t expect to see a zebra.” In other words, look for the more common and usual, not the surprising, diagnosis.
People with rare and chronic diseases spend years searching for answers:
“You’re too young to have so many problems”
“You can’t have that, it’s too rare”
“No one knows what that is”
The zebra became our symbol because those with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and hypermobility spectrum disorder are the unexpected. “Sometimes when you hear hoofbeats, it really is a zebra.”
When you see a zebra, you know it’s a zebra—but no two zebras have identical stripes just as no two people with an Ehlers-Danlos syndrome or HSD are identical [and] we have different symptoms, different types, and different experiences."
So there you have it! As someone who suffers from Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and a vast number of comorbidities, that is why this Phoenix is a Zebra!
Zebra hand drawn by Phoenix on iPad app, Procreate.
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