In 2010, my dad died from a heart attack. Again, I didn’t know he had heart disease until it was too late. I woke up a few weeks after walking my mother through grief on a beautiful sunny day. Later that morning we got a call that my sister passed away from asthma, just two days before her 42nd birthday. I truly believe that she would still be alive today if we had just talked about her illness more often. Even though she had asthma all her life, we just didn’t understand the seriousness to be more supportive. At the same time, my own health crisis was brewing. I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). I shut down and isolated myself, and for the next three years, I struggled, alone in my pain, hopeless and unable to communicate how I was feeling. I developed severe panic attacks and depression. Fear and stigma kept me from seeking mental help. I stopped doing things I enjoyed, like traveling. I even picked up drinking alcohol to cope. The Importance Of Healthy Literacy