I Appreciate Every Blesssed Moment by Jentry Harris

Hi, my name is Jentry Harris. My story begins in 2002. I was 16 years old, my parents had recently divorced, and I was adjusting to that. I was a sophomore in an all-girls high school. I suppose I knew something was different about me. I always seemed one step behind my peers with puberty and development and others in class made sure I knew it, daily, with their jokes and comments.

Then one day what I thought would be a ordinary check up at the doctor changed my life forever. My dad picked me up from school in a bit of a rush and said after we picked up my brother we would have to get back to the doctor. When we got there, I was diagnosed with Turner syndrome (TS). “Jentry, you have what's called 45XO or also known as Turner syndrome which means you only have one X chromosome”.

In my 16 year old mind, I didn't think much of it and I just said, “oh, okay”. I remember so clearly as we left the appointment going down the elevator my dad asking me,” Hun do you know what that means?” I responded by saying that Turner syndrome is why I was weird and may not have enough chromosomes to have kids. He told me that I would not be able to have kids, and that I was not weird, just special.

Now that you know the story of my diagnosis, fast forward to 2022 and how my life with Turner syndrome is today. It’s not just my TS life, but rather, my life! I am now a 35-year-old woman with a bachelor's and master's degree in social work jump starting my career. I excitedly became a homeowner in 2019, I am a daughter, a sister, a friend, a cousin, and a minister.

I appreciate every blessed moment God gives me on this earth, and I am learning more and more each day to not take one single moment for granted. I have also learned that my TS, which originally, I thought was a weakness, actually causes me to dig deeper, and is a strength to me. That’s the beautiful uniqueness in being a butterfly. No butterflies have exactly the same coloring, and no butterflies fly in exactly the same way. Being graced with 2% chance to fly is so much more than a 2% miracle, and I am eternally forever grateful that my TS Story is unique to me