Taylor Schalk is 20 years old and currently a student at Carroll University where she is studying nursing. In her free time, you can find Taylor with family and friends, watching sports or baking.

When Taylor was 18, something in her health drastically changed. Although she had ongoing complications from POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome), and other health issues, her health was rapidly declining. She couldn’t stop vomiting and because of that, she was losing weight. Taylor ended up severely malnourished. She and her family were left without any answers. After visits to six different hospitals, several misdiagnoses and months of worsening health, Taylor was finally diagnosed with Superior Mesenteric Artery Compression, Taylor and her family finally had long awaited answers.

Superior Mesenteric Artery compression is extremely rare. It is estimated that 0.01-0.3% of the US population have this condition. Taylor’s goal in partnering with Harmony 4 Hope is to educate the medical community on rare diseases, prevent misdiagnosis, and provide better care to those with similar battles.