The Story of Angeline Gallow with Lymphedema

My name is Angeline Gallow. I was born and raised in Bayou Chicot, Louisiana. I currently live in Spring, Texas. I moved to Spring because Louisiana can’t provide me with the medical treatment I need for this incurable disease: Lymphedema. When I was first diagnosed diagnose at the age of 9, the medical industry called it elephantitis—also known as elephant leg. As years went by, the industry realized patients never went to Africa and it was not only among the Black community. So it was later called Lymphedema. I was in the fourth grade. I was not born with it.

This changed my entire life. I could not find pants to wear because my leg was so big. My mother would sew my pants, then she started making me wear long dresses which are now called maxis. I was so happy when bell bottoms came out because I could fit in them.

By the age of 10, I was hospitalized once every month. Sometimes twice a month, because I would get infections really bad. This disease affected me, my life, and my body. As a child, I could not enjoy basketball, kickball, having friends (who wanted to be friends with a girl that had a big leg?), and simply just running. So, I invested my time in things that I could do: sewing, cooking, reading, mowing the lawn, and going to movies. But my favorite was hanging with my dad.

After graduating from high school, I went to The University of Southwestern Louisiana—now known as the University of Louisiana, Lafayette. I wore short dresses exposing my leg to all my peers. I was so naïve. I hated the way I was looked at, questioned, and laughed at. I never wore a dress again. I did not wear compression garments and was not receiving treatments.

When I was 18, I was contacted by a physician asking if I would be interested in reducing the size of my leg. My response was, “Well, of course! How?” I was 95 pounds with this big leg that I would drag. After meeting with the doctors, I agreed to have a surgery called debulking. I was so happy to know they could do this. Remember I was only 18. My mother and father were against it, but they knew it was my decision.

After graduating from college with 2 children, I was very proud of my many accomplishments. Many doctors had said I would not be able to go to college, have children, or even have a great quality of life. Through God’s grace and mercies, I am here. I have children, a college degree, and a little quality of life.

Lymphedema has been costly. It has cost me my childhood, my career, my pride, my life. There is no cure. I have to manage this disease with compression garments, bandaging, using a lymphedema pump, and night garments 365 days a year. I am currently having Manual Lymphatic Drainage through Memorial Herman TIRR in Spring, Texas. I became so stressed when I had to go through this again because the United States of America Medicare refuse to provide me and many others with medical supplies necessary to control and maintain the swelling and prevention of infections of this disease.

I am 53 years old with two beautiful children and one grandchild. I will never stop going forward and pushing for better care for those of us with lymphedema.

This is my story.