Shelley Flannery

Experienced writer and content marketer specializing in health and wellness, higher education and nonprofit

How U Visas Can Help Immigrant Victims of Domestic Abuse

Many survivors of domestic violence hesitate to report their abusers because of embarrassment, financial concerns and a fear of retribution. For undocumented immigrants in the U.S., another threat looms even larger.
“The main reason that immigrant survivors of domestic violence don’t come forward is the fear of deportation,” says Andrea Cárcamo, a former policy analyst and legislative liaison at Casa de Esperanza, a national...

Inspiring Audiences Everywhere: Zach Sobiech’s Story

At first, Zach didn’t intend to share his story with anyone but his family and friends. When he learned three years into his fight that his osteosarcoma was terminal, his mom, Laura, suggested the 17-year-old write letters to his loved ones to say goodbye.
“One thing we really learned about dying is it’s so awkward for everybody, especially for the young,” Laura says. “There’s just no right time to say the big things without feeling like you’re imposing on the other person.”

Osteosarcoma Stories: Amazing Grace

In 2021, just as schools were reopening after the COVID-19 pandemic, 12-year-old Grace Messinger was still a remote learner due to her asthma, but that didn’t keep her from taking part in her regular classes.
One day, as Grace was holding a plank exercise during a remote physical education class, she felt something snap in her left shoulder. Believing it was a minor sprain from months of inactivity, Grace and her mom, Carrie, iced it and watched for bruising or swelling. When the pain still hadn...

What Women Need To Know About Schizophrenia

Few movies and TV shows accurately depict schizophrenia, and even fewer feature women with the condition—which undoubtedly plays a role in the misconception that schizophrenia only occurs in men. The truth is that rates of the condition are pretty evenly split between men and women. Schizophrenia affects up to an estimated 2.4 million adults in the United States, yet remains widely misunderstood by the general public and insufficiently treated.So why is schizophrenia seen by some people as a men...

Can States Protect Kids from Reunification Camps?

In case you missed it, this past February we covered the horrors of family reunification camps, for-profit programs purportedly designed to help parents reestablish a relationship with the children they’ve been “alienated” from by the other parent, usually through divorce. One such camp, Building Family Bridges, markets itself as an “innovative four-day workshop” that “helps children reunify with a parent they claim to hate or fear.”

When your child should see a GI about vomiting

It’s a fact of life that no one prepares parents for: Kids vomit. Often at the most inopportune times. But when is kids’ vomiting harmless and when could it signal something more?

The good news is that the vast majority of vomiting in kids is nothing to worry about. It’s most frequently caused by gastroenteritis, a stomach infection often referred to as the stomach flu even though it has no connection to influen

The real signs of autism in adults

Misinformation on TikTok could lead thousands of young adults to believe they have autism spectrum disorder when they really don’t. Here’s what to know about autism symptoms in adults.

On the one hand, social media has brought important and much-needed attention to mental health disorders. On the other hand, it’s circulating misinformation about a number of conditions, namely autism spectrum disorder. So much was detected, in fact, that researchers decided to analyze just how much of the autism

Your Most Pressing Questions About Bipolar 1 Disorder, Answered By People Who Know

Upon being diagnosed with bipolar 1 disorder at the age of 24, Charlotte, a budding singer-songwriter, wasn't particularly angry, upset, or surprised. Her first thought after hearing the news?

That makes sense.

After three years of intense mood swings, severe insomnia, impulsivity, reckless behavior, fights with her family, and bouts of depression, Charlotte now had an explanation for the way she had been feeling and acting.
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