Katherine Albrecht

The great Boreal Forest is a broad, emerald ring encircling the globe — a crown of fir, larch, pine and spruce, with alder, aspen and birch scattered through it — extending south from the Arctic tundra. This dense, vast, virgin forest encompasses most of Alaska, Canada, Scandinavia, Russia and China, a region where winters are long and often severe and summers are short and relatively warm.

One day I was leaning back in my recliner, icing my knee after a recent knee surgery. A commercial for a sports drink came on my TV. Pictured were people running, jumping, tackling and playing sports. As I sat in my chair, my adrenaline kicked in. I could feel my blood pumping and my heart starting to race. I wanted to jump up and run outside, hop on a bike and race someone, anything so I could feel the thrill of rigorous exercise.

After finishing my chores on a particularly bad pain and fatigue day, I lay down in bed. I pulled my weighted blanket over me. • What is Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome? • What Are Common Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Symptoms? Before I drifted off to sleep I thought, “This is it.” I realized this is how the rest of my life is going to be. I’m going to need to take naps after doing housework. I’m always going to be in pain. I’ll need to see doctors. In fact, I’ll see several of them every single month.