Students live with ‘silent disabilities’ on campus
By Ellie Willson
Contributor
As the sun rises over the Nashville skyline, Trevecca’s campus begins to stir. Students begin to wake up for their 8 a.m. classes, and teachers pull onto campus ready to teach. For many, the process of getting out of bed is difficult, but it is a minuscule problem that gets lost in the shuffle of everyday life. For others, however, a war is waged before they step out of their dorm for the day. These warriors look like any other student, but their battles with chronic illness set them apart in a major way.
One of these warriors is Olivia Jarrell, a freshman business major and STUNT athlete. Diagnosed with Addison’s disease, an autoimmune disorder, she lacks vital hormones, which cause her to feel heavily fatigued and appear very tan. She discusses how ...