The School Nurse Said I Was “Faking It”—Then My Heart Stopped in the Hallway

beneath it, a hard bump like a matchbox tucked into my chest. Some days I forget it’s there. Other days I feel it like a constant reminder that my body once tried to kill me, and the one adult who should have listened told me I was faking it.

The warnings started small, three days before my heart stopped. A vibration against my wrist while I brushed continue reading …