I started advocating for Fibromyalgia awareness back in 2014, a little over a year after I had started really developing symptoms. I began with a simple newspaper article from my local newspaper and from there I received a serious amount of positive responses. As only a sophomore in high school, I was receiving letters and emails from people who were not only my age dealing with similar things but people who were much older than I was. Hearing how much I had helped these people had moved something in me that made me realize that this was my passion. I needed to help people and that was my purpose. That was the reason I was given this awful situation because I was meant to help people rise above that negativity and that was my biggest coping tool.
The tattoo on my left armBoston Children's Hospital's Pain Clinic is the reason I am where I am today. If it wasn't for the wonderful, caring, and helpful doctors there, I wouldn't be helping people today. It was a turning point for me when I finally "graduated" from the pain clinic and was offered to present at their support group as a guest speaker. Because of my time spent at that support group, I was awarded with the "Pain Treatment Service Youth Mentorship Award", twice, and nothing is more rewarding than that. Being recognized by the people who helped me the most.
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My name is Kiley Reitano and I live with 3 chronic illnesses. At a youung age, I had to learn very quickly that I was not the average young girl when I was being diagnosed at the AGE OF 14. Living with Fibromyalgia, Endometriosis, and an auto-immune disease has been very challenging and I have had many ups and downs. What I realized most through living with these health issues was I wanted to let it impact me in the most positive way that it could. I wanted to take these negative situations and turn them into something positive-- mentally not letting the illnesses win.
"Kiley Reitano has a story to tell. She wants to break the silence behind illnesses that are difficult to diagnose and challenging to treat. She wants to shed light on the struggle behind illnesses that some consider “imaginary” because they can’t be seen." -The Town Crier; tewksbury & Wilmington, MA My award from the pain clinic at BCH from 2015 and then received it again in 2018 |
The proclamation from Governor Charles Baker |
Fibromyalgia Day 2016-2022 was officially proclaimed because of my efforts in raising awareness and was recognized by the Governor of Massachusetts. It was and still is probably one of my proudest moments when I received this. Living with an invisible illness is very hard, so to finally have that seen and my voice heard, that is something I will never forget.
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