I have been holding on to a secret for most of my life. Not many people know about this. It’s only a select few; truthfully, if you’re important, you know about it. You may not know much about it, but I’ve tried to explain it as best as possible, without giving too much away. I didn’t want anyone to think that I wasn’t normal. 

That’s ridiculous, and I agree with it, but I have never wanted to be public about it because it’s just a part of my everyday life. It’s like brushing my teeth, but it takes less time. 

I was born with a rare condition called panhypopituitarism, and I was diagnosed when I was just ten days old. 

 What is panhypopituitarism? While you may still figure out how to pronounce it, let me help you: Pan-hypo-pituitarism. Let me help you understand panhypopituitarism by breaking down the word.

 Pan = All 

Hypo = Deficient 

Pituitarism =of the pituitary gland. 

 In simple terms, I don’t have a functioning pituitary gland. The pituitary gland is one of the most essential glands that keep our body going; without it, we wouldn’t survive. The only reason I survive is that I take medication that keeps me alive and healthy. I’m going to get technical for a minute. Let’s dive in. 

The pituitary gland controls your thyroid, adrenal, male, and female hormones and growth hormone. So, I take medication such as steroids to keep my adrenal glands going, thyroid medication to keep my thyroid gland in check, female hormones to keep my bones strong, and growth hormone, which also helps with my bones, heart health, and not being depressed. 

As long as I take my medication, I’m fine. I’m healthy and beyond happy, and that’s all that matters. It’s part of my daily life. The drugs that could harm other people save my life daily, and I’m grateful I have those medications because without them, I wouldn’t survive. 

If you know me and have spent time with me out in the wild, you may wonder why I never said anything about my illness. Why the huge secret? There was a time in my life when I was treated differently because I had a medical condition, and some teachers didn’t want to understand me, so they made things hard for me. I was treated like I didn’t belong, so I kept it secret to keep myself saf

Living with panhypopituitarism means I have to be vigilant about my medication, but it’s a routine I’ve grown accustomed to over the last 45 years. There were some scary times when I didn’t take care of myself at all, nor did I take my medication, but sometimes we just have to live and learn. 

What you may not understand, reading this, is that living with a rare disease can be very isolating. Unless you have a community like I do now, it’s hard actually to understand what is going on with your body, and most doctors are there to treat you and not teach you, so it can make life complicated. It took me more than 30 years to figure out what was wrong with me. 

It wasn’t until I found a group called PanHypoPituitarism that I no longer felt isolated. This group was great, but there was one thing that was off. My diagnosis was not the same as everyone else’s. 

 I decided to build a Facebook community called Congenital Panhypopituitarism, meaning that the people in my group were born with our rare disease or were diagnosed at a young age. The group has over 700 members and is now ten years old, a testament to my determination and leadership, and I couldn’t be happier to run it.

So now’s the part where we get to my bigger secret, which I’ve been holding for a year and a half and just need to share because you will find out about it soon enough.

I wrote a book, Born to Flourish, which is due to be released on July 29, 2025, for the Kindle version and August 12, 2025, for the paperback. It’s a memoir about my life with panhypopituitarism and the ups and downs of living with a rare disease.

The title Born to Flourish came to me while I was walking a dog. I was waiting for the right opportunity, and I held on to that name for five years.

Then, I got to write a book for a publisher called She Rises Studios. It has been a long journey and lots of hours of writing, but I’m as proud of it as I can be. Sometimes, the right opportunities just show up, and it was time for me to flourish and share my story with the world.

I will be doing a pre-order where you can get a signed copy from me. Sign up for the waiting list below to find out when to order. I’ll ship the paperback copy, and you should receive it by or around August 12th. See the book cover & sign up for the waiting list below. 

Thank you, 

Nancy