Veganism and Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome. What do these two even have in common? Well here’s my story, in January 2020 I was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome. PCOS greatly affected my health and caused me to be obese for most of my life. My doctors continuously told me that there was no cure and that “I just needed to lose weight”. Super simple, right? Easier said than done. My doctors were never a huge help, they just made me feel worse than I already felt. I was severely body shamed and felt hopeless, but deep down I knew there was something I could do. Therefore, I did my own research and found that changing my diet could change my life. I cut out dairy and gluten and felt like my world shifted. It was definitely difficult, but the changes I felt in my body were great! After this, I started trying out lots of plant-based foods and even started going to vegan restaurants! I fell in love with the way my body felt by eating these nutritious foods that were good for me. It didn’t feel like a hassle, it felt like a better lifestyle. As soon as you know it my health changed drastically. I started losing weight and felt so good. My energy levels were high, no fatigue, better-eating habits, etc. I made a difference in my health even though no one believed in me except myself. I changed my life. Veganism changed my life. I went back to my doctor's office and if only you could see the look on their face. They were amazed at how my health changed. For so long they tried telling me to “just get on birth control it will regulate your hormones”, but I knew that it wouldn’t. My previous doctors put me on birth control at eleven years old to regulate my periods. I was a kid and they were using a bandaid to cover it up. They never cared about my health. This led to damaging my hormones even more leading to insane weight gain. Who does that to a kid? At the age of 14, I knew I needed to take a stand and make a change in my life since these doctors obviously didn’t care enough to even help. I have been through so much mentally, emotionally, and physically when it comes to my health. Yet I have finally reached my goal to live healthier. Veganism is what saved me. Now as I have gone through this experience I am sure there are so many other women who may have experienced this too. I want to express the importance of health, wellness, fitness, etc to all of these wonderful people in the world. I don’t want others to feel alone or worthless like I did. I am looking toward pursuing a career in nutrition, fitness, coaching, physical education, etc. Although I don’t have a set career path, I know that one of my purposes here on this earth is to make a difference when it comes to each individual's health. I will succeed in expressing that message. As I have spoken about my diagnosis with PCOS and the barriers I have gone through with it. I have so many takeaways from it, but the major one is that veganism shaped me into a better woman. Although I didn’t cure my PCOS I definitely made a difference in my health even though no one believed in me, except myself. Veganism turned me into the amazing woman I am now.