Chelsie Speer
Bio
I'm 29 years old and from Portland, Oregon but now live in the mountains of Wyoming with my sweet husband and our cat. I come from a large artistic family and I've always enjoyed writing, even though I've studied music most of my life.
Stories (12)
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Patient Advocate
I doubled in size at age 4. My large, puffy cheeks and big belly were already causing an unhealthy body image to form in my young mind. My poor mother took me to doctor after doctor, specialist after specialist throughout my childhood while trying several different diet plans on me. I didn’t understand why I couldn’t look like the other kids even while living the exact same childhood. I was active, I was happy, and I was eating normally but I kept gaining weight. Nothing was working. Doctors were no help at all and I dreaded going every time. They would never bother testing me for anything considered “rare” but would simply throw their hands up and put me on another diet. I became less confident as I grew up and had periods where I did lose weight, only to have it all come back. I suffered from menstrual irregularities, headaches, muscle weakness, facial hair, abdominal stretch marks, mental illness, dizziness, brittle teeth, the list goes on. I would never try out for sports for fear of getting winded before the other kids and I continued to hate what I saw in the mirror. I cried myself to sleep more times than I can count and wrote goal lists in my childhood diaries with the top goal always being “Lose weight”.
By Chelsie Speer5 years ago in Humans
Martha Curnutt
This story has haunted my memory since I first heard it. I am fascinated by family history and while watching one of my favorite shows about celebrities doing their genealogy, I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen during one particular episode about Cynthia Nixon. She knew nothing about her father’s side of the family but would soon find out that there were skeletons in their closet that ultimately led to major prison reform around the country.
By Chelsie Speer5 years ago in Criminal
Working Retail Isn't All Bad
Working in a craft store did wonders for my creative side. I realized that my mind saw things a little differently, especially since I grew up with a resourceful mom who thinks outside the box. We were poor so she had to come up with solutions to every day problems that were maybe unconventional but that were definitely cheaper. I like to believe that this sense of innovation rubbed off on me.
By Chelsie Speer5 years ago in Humans
The Quilt of Many Colors
I could feel the excitement and intimidation building up inside of me as I carefully measured and cut the dozen or so different fabric swatches into 4-inch squares with my mom’s well-loved silver Fiskars. I had never made a quilt before but I was determined. She deserved something special.
By Chelsie Speer5 years ago in Humans
