Most people may have never heard of polymyositis, a rare inflammatory disease that causes muscle weakness throughout the body. 

Shonda Brown certainly hadn’t when she was diagnosed with it at the age of 14.

“It just came out of the blue,” she said. “I had never been sick—barely even had a cold. They think I got it from a viral infection, but no one knows for sure. 

“They said it was rare for someone like me to get it so young. I’ve never met anyone else with it. I’ve even gone online to see if I could find anyone else that has gone through it. It’s been hard.”  

A day after turning 40, Joey Brinson received the best belated birthday gift of his life.

On Aug. 23, he got word he’d be one of only two American wheelchair fencers to compete at the Sept. 7-18 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

“Once again, I get to represent my country at the highest level of sport,” he quickly posted on Facebook. “This is last minute news and I keep pinching myself to make sure I'm not sleeping. But now it's time to snap into battle mode....USA!!”

Jasmine “Coco” Whiteside was not herself.

Usually reliable and upbeat, the University of Southern Mississippi senior had begun ditching plans with friends and texting photos of herself crying.

Her mother, Angela Whiteside, was baffled. She knew her daughter as intelligent and independent, the kind of kid who takes care of business.

“Whatever you wanted or needed, Coco was there for you,” Whiteside said.  “Ain’t nobody perfect, but she was perfect.”

And now she was a perfect mess.

As a graphic design instructor at Mississippi College, Karlos Taylor relies on his artist’s hand and his gift of gab to inspire students.

But after a stroke last year, he found himself stripped of those gifts and unsure if he would ever get them back.

Everything seemed normal the night of October 26. Taylor had been having some headaches, but attributed them to the stress of his job.

“But as I was going to bed, I felt very dizzy,” Taylor said.