A Life With Hidradenitis Suppurativa

“I’m not hiding because I’m ashamed.
I’m hiding because I’m scared you’ll make me feel like I should be.”
— Talia MendozaWhen strange, sore bumps start forming in the folds of her skin, Talia’s first instinct is to hide them. From her mom. From her best friend. From the doctors who brush her off with words like “acne” or “hormones.” But as the...

“This body runs, lifts, breathes—and yeah, scars too. Still mine.”

— Amari

Amari doesn’t do excuses. She does goals, gym sessions, and 6 a.m. alarms.
As a college track star with a scholarship on the line, she’s trained her body to perform, no matter what. But when the pain under her arms turns into something bigger, something deeper, she’s...

“I don’t want to be admired from a distance.

I want to be loved up close—and that scares me more than anything.”

— Elena

Elena has the career, the style, the control.

And the secret pain she never talks about.

At thirty-four, Elena is a rising star in the corporate world. She's mastered the art of looking composed, confident—even cold, if it...

“I help people every day.

I just didn’t think I’d have to learn how to help myself too.”

— Rowan

Rowan has spent years pretending his skin was just a problem he could outgrow.
Now, in his mid-twenties and entering clinical rotations to become a nurse, he’s surrounded by people with diagnoses, discharge plans, and names for their pain—except when...