Sarah Durham

I am a 37 year old rare disease patient who spent almost a decade misdiagnosed and suffering needlessly. I have Hypopituitarism with secondary adrenal insufficiency. I replace growth hormone, thyroid hormones and cortisol. I also have and treat low estrogen, DHEA and testosterone. I'm also deficient in the rarely replaced pituitary hormone oxytocin and currently taking it on a trial basis. On top of all that I also need iron for low ferritin and take Vitamin D to keep my levels up.

Despite living untreated and undiagnosed through "hormone hell", I was blessed with two adorable sons. Christopher is 9 and paved the way for my diagnosis after being diagnosed with growth hormone deficiency himself. Two years after diagnosis and feeling much better, my hormones decided to wake enough to bless us with another baby boy.

I'd long given up hope for a second pregnancy when Carter (16 months) came along! So far Carter is a very intelligent, rambunctious, healthy and adorable toddler but will be tested for growth hormone deficiency at age 2.

Last but not least, I have a beautiful, super smart and athletic soccer star step daughter who is almost 17! All three of our children have exactly 8 years in between each of them. I call our life "organized chaos"!

My unfortunate experience was life altering, unacceptably long, traumatic and beyond frustrating. I spent years researching my symptoms trying to help myself and deserve an honorary medical degree. Since they don't offer those so easily, I've put myself to use advocating for other rare disease patients and consulting the medical field on adult growth hormone deficiency.

I'm currently working on my website & non profit called Patient Partners. Patient Partners will match an undiagnosed or untreated rare disease patient with one who is diagnosed, treated and educated on their condition. Their experience and knowledge will provide the much needed support to the patient in need. They'll be someone you'd want in your corner to offer advice, answer questions and gently motivate you to fight for answers. Someone most patients like myself wish we'd had to hold our hands and guide us.

I've also been fortunate to consult on pharmaceutical companies growth hormone deficiency patient advisory panels. We hope to bridge the gap between the patient, doctors, insurance companies and the pharmaceutical industry. I'm a member of The Magic Foundation, the Human Growth Foundation and several patient advocacy groups. For more informatio