Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Buckley.
Hi Sarah, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My story began when I was diagnosed with failure to thrive at 18 months old. I was literally allergic to everything, including my mother’s breast milk. That was just the beginning of 47 years (and counting) of multiple misdiagnoses and traumatic experiences, including—but not limited to—medical gaslighting, being denied care, frequent emergency room visits and hospitalizations, and surviving domestic violence and other forms of abuse.
Even though I have endured horrific challenges, I have also achieved many meaningful accomplishments that I am deeply proud of. Throughout my life, I have demonstrated resilience in overcoming both personal and professional adversity, often while facing limited resources and financial constraints. For over 13 years, I designed high-quality, cost-effective, and comprehensive services for underprivileged children with special needs and their families. By creating uniquely tailored IEP goals and behavior intervention plans, I helped at-risk children reach their highest potential. As an Employment Specialist, I built strong community support systems and strategic interagency partnerships that enabled many disabled teenagers to secure meaningful employment.
In 2003, my mother was diagnosed with Lyme disease. Around that same time, I had just graduated with a bachelor’s degree in social work, was celebrating being a newlywed, and was beginning my career as a Behavior Analyst when my world suddenly shifted. While driving home from a business conference, I developed the worst headache imaginable. I told the ER doctor it felt like my brain was going to explode from the pressure. The hospital ran numerous tests, including a spinal tap, but found no explanation. After two days, my mother took me to her pain management specialist. I will never forget what he said: “Sarah, I’m not the type of doctor qualified to diagnose you, but it appears you have the same symptoms as your mother. I strongly suggest you see an Infectious Disease Specialist and get tested for Lyme disease.”
To be honest, even though my mother had been diagnosed three years earlier, I didn’t fully understand what Lyme disease was. Long story short, I was diagnosed as well. I now believe I was born with Lyme disease, as my mother clearly remembers having a tick bite the year before she gave birth to me. Lyme disease is caused by the spirochete *Borrelia burgdorferi*, typically transmitted through tick bites. In rare cases, it can cross the placenta during pregnancy, resulting in congenital Lyme. Once in the body, the bacteria can remain dormant for years, which may explain why symptoms sometimes appear much later.
As a child, it felt like my second home was the pediatrician’s office because I was constantly sick with repeated strep infections. During adolescence, I developed chronic migraines, and my mental health declined to the point that I was diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. In my freshman year of high school, I became severely ill and was eventually diagnosed with the human parvovirus after seeing multiple specialists. Later, while living in an abusive marriage, the extreme stress and turmoil appeared to trigger the Lyme disease that had been dormant in my body, causing it to activate and impact every system.
Every day, I experience some level of pain and neurological symptoms, including anxiety, brain fog, memory loss, and confusion. Not all of my symptoms are visible, but they are very real. I also struggle with extreme muscle weakness, chronic pain on the right side of my body, shortness of breath, chest pain, heart palpitations, heat intolerance, involuntary muscle twitches, multiple allergies, histamine intolerance, ptosis in my right eyelid, severe fatigue, word-finding difficulties, and debilitating migraines.
Over the years, I have pursued many treatments, including oral antibiotics, herbal protocols, chiropractic care, functional medicine, Chinese medicine, essential oils, physical therapy, steroid injections, mental health therapy and medications, hypnosis, acupuncture, red-light therapy, and months of IV therapy. While some treatments provided temporary relief, none have offered lasting results. After years of struggling to maintain employment while battling chronic illness, my symptoms became too severe, and I was granted disability in October 2012; just weeks after my second marriage.
The Chronic Confessions began as something deeply personal, long before it had a name or a defined purpose. It started as a way to process overwhelming thoughts, experiences, and emotions that didn’t feel safe to express out loud. I needed a space where I could be honest about the emotional weight of chronic illness, pain, and the grief of my unexpected divorce.
Therefore, I created a faceless Instagram account where I could exist anonymously; free from judgment, shame, and the pressure to appear as though I had everything figured out.
Over time, my posts became more intentional. What began as private reflection slowly evolved into something I felt compelled to share more openly. The more vulnerable I became, the more it resonated. People weren’t just reading my words; they were connecting with them. I began receiving messages from individuals who saw their own experiences reflected in my posts.
That’s when The Chronic Confessions shifted from a personal outlet into a community-driven space. I leaned into that connection, creating a platform centered on truth, emotional honesty, and shared human experience. It was never about building a brand; it was about demonstrating that vulnerability, authenticity, and courage could create a space where others feel less alone.
Getting to where I am today has required consistent growth, experimentation, and learning to trust my voice. There have been (and still are) moments of doubt, where I question whether sharing such personal parts of my life truly matters. But each time, the response from the community reminds me of the power in telling our stories; especially the raw, unfiltered ones.
Over the past four years, The Chronic Confessions has grown into a free Facebook support community that reflects both creative expression and my healing journey. What began as a personal coping mechanism has evolved into a space where people from around the world can feel seen, heard, and validated. In many ways, I’m still doing what I’ve always done; transforming lived experience into connection and community. Now, however, it has grown into something larger: a meaningful movement rooted in healing, truth, and shared humanity.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road, and honestly, I think that’s part of what shaped The Chronic Confessions into what it is today.
One of the biggest challenges was learning how to be truly honest in a public way. It’s one thing to process your thoughts privately, but it’s entirely different to share them with the world. There were moments when I questioned how much was “too much,” or whether people would understand the vulnerability behind what I was sharing. That internal push and pull between wanting to be fully transparent and wanting to protect myself and my loved ones, was something I had to work through over time.
Another struggle was consistency, especially in the early stages. When something begins as a personal outlet, there’s no structure or roadmap. Turning it into something more intentional meant showing up even when I didn’t feel inspired, or when life itself felt overwhelming. Balancing authenticity with discipline was a major learning curve, and it’s something I still navigate.
There were also moments of intense doubt; wondering if what I was sharing was resonating, if it truly mattered, or if I was just speaking into the void. Building something meaningful takes time, and in the beginning, that growth isn’t always visible. It required patience and trust in the process.
At the same time, those struggles became part of the foundation of what makes The Chronic Confessions so meaningful today. They pushed me to be more intentional, more grounded, and more connected to why I started this healing journey in the first place. All of the imperfections, uncertainty, unpredictability, and challenges are now woven into the very core of The Chronic Confessions.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Connection and community are at the center of everything I do. Through mentorship, storytelling, and advocacy, I help individuals transform their lived experiences into sources of resilience, healing, and visibility.
Living with chronic illness can often feel isolating. My mission is to create spaces where people feel seen, heard, and supported, while also amplifying voices that deserve greater awareness and understanding. Through The Chronic Confessions, I’ve created a healing movement that blends personal reflection with shared human experience. I specialize in helping people process heavy emotions, uncomfortable thoughts, and life-changing moments that often go unspoken, presenting them in a way that feels safe, intimate, and relatable to the public.
Over time, I’ve become known for my vulnerability and my willingness to say what people are thinking but may not have the words (or the courage) to express. Whether through my writing, curated social media content, podcast appearances, or the way I facilitate conversations, my mission has always been to create genuine connection within the chronic illness community and to build safe spaces where people feel seen, heard, understood, and less alone while navigating chronic conditions.
What I’m most proud of isn’t just the movement itself, but the meaningful impact it has had on people across the globe. The messages, conversations, and community that have formed around The Chronic Confessions means everything to me. Knowing that something that began as a personal outlet has grown into a space that resonates so deeply with others is what makes it so meaningful.
What sets me apart is the intention behind everything I create. I’m not sharing my lived experience to impress or to present a polished version of my life. I’m committed to showing the real, sometimes messy and uncomfortable truth of what living with a chronic condition is actually like. That honesty is what people genuinely connect with, and it continues to guide this movement as it evolves.
At the end of the day, The Chronic Confessions exists as a quiet, safe corner of the internet that allows for honest reflection, raw emotion, and the freedom to speak your truth without shame or judgment. Being able to do this in a way that genuinely resonates with people is something I will never take for granted.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/theesarahbee
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thechronicconfessions
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thechronicconfessions
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thechronicconfessions
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheChronicConfessionsCommunity
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@thechronicconfessions
