Elephants and Tea - One Herd - 16

Our Voices
Simply Beautiful
BY BRYAN WALKER
W
16
hen I decided to move to Tennessee to start my
career, I was thrilled about the opportunity to
work for the most visited distillery in America.
At 25, it felt like the start of a bright future, and I
was ready to take on the world. This was my first " Big Move "
away from my parents, aside from going to college, and I was
eager to come into my own, carve out my path, and prove
that I could make it independently. It was an exciting time,
full of possibilities and anticipating what lay ahead. However,
during multiple seasons in 2014, my body began showing
signs that something was seriously wrong, disrupting what
I had hoped would be the beginning of a bright new chapter
in my life.
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It all started with night sweats that were
so intense I had to change my sheets every
single day. But I brushed it off, blaming
the wintertime chill and my trusty thick
blanket. " Nothing serious, " I told myself, as
I powered through my routine, convinced
I was in control. Then, the weight started
falling off-rapidly. But instead of worrying,
I thought, " Wow, I'm just getting fit
again! " My clothes were fitting looser, and
friends were showering me with compliments
about how great I looked. I had an
excuse for every strange thing my body was
doing because, in my mind, I was totally
OK. But deep down, there was a little voice
whispering that something was not right.
Next came a persistent cough that lasted
over four months. Doctors diagnosed
me with acute bronchitis, a misdiagnosis
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Elephants and Tea - One Herd

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