D’andre’s chronic illness journey began in 1999 when, at just 12 years old, she transformed from a healthy child into a malnourished adolescent in just five months. Diagnosed with Crohn’s, she was told life would never be the same. Beyond the physical pain, D’andre faced a profound lack of representation; none of the educational materials included Black people, and she was frequently questioned about her heritage because of the persistent myth that IBD only affected specific demographics. This isolation was compounded in 2016 when, a year into motherhood, she was finally diagnosed with Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS) after nine years of being misdiagnosed.
Managing two chronic illnesses meant navigating a gauntlet of infusion treatments and insurance barriers. While infusions provided stability for a decade, D’andre faced a crisis during her transition to adulthood when her medication stopped working. She spent years trying self-injectables that failed before finally finding a care team in North Carolina that helped her secure a biologic infusion. However, her stability was constantly threatened by Copay Accumulator programs—insurance policies that prevented her copay assistance from counting toward her deductible. Without that “financial breathing room,” the mental stress of choosing between her health and financial survival became as taxing as the diseases themselves.
Today, D’andre is a leader who ensures that people living with chronic illness are seen and understood, not just managed. She has learned to embrace her journey, including the small, discreet port that solved years of painful vein access issues. Through her work with the Infusion Access Foundation, D’andre advocates for equitable policies, arguing that no one should have to choose between food, housing, and life-saving medication. She leans on her faith, her community, and the creativity born of chronic illness to live a life that maximizes her strengths, proving that while she didn’t choose this path, she is masterfully navigating it.