Jan Watson-Hillmann

I am a 43 year old woman, mother of one super son, one super step-daughter and wife to one amazing husband.

My world as I knew it changed 10 years ago when I contracted West Nile Virus from a mosquito. The end result of that ordeal was muscle weakness and a partially paralyzed right arm. I spent many weeks in the hospital and rehabilitation hospital to regain any movement and strength I could. I had the neuroinvasive form of West Nile (what they call poliomylitis or meningoencephalitis).

Since then, my body started changing. About a year after my illness, I started getting what I called 'charlie horses' several times a month.... over the next 9 years those spasms increased in frequency and intensity. Long story short, in March of 2013 I was diagnosed with a very rare Neurological disease called Stiff Mans Syndrome. The spasms can get bad enough to break bones!

I may look somewhat normal from the outside, but on the inside is constant chaos!