Pam Taylor met her now husband Greg Taylor her freshman year of high school, he was a senior. When Greg graduated and Pam was a sophomore, they were married. By Pam’s junior year, they had their first child.The beginning of their relationship was a challenge for the couple as Pam was finishing her studies while Greg worked, all with a young child. But the last 53 years of marriage didn’t come without more of these hardships and challenges, and for the Taylors, one of those challenges was Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, better known as EDS.
“I always look back and think, things happen for a reason,” Pam said. “By me getting married early, we had a really good life before he became really ill.”
Greg Taylor has always dealt with severe headaches and his knees locking up since he was a child, but it wasn’t until he went to see a heart specialist at the age of 43 that he was diagnosed with EDS.
“There were things that were going on that we weren’t aware were a part of his problem until he was diagnosed,” his wife explained.
But what is EDS? According to the Mayo Clinic, “Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is a group of inherited disorders that affect your connective tissues — primarily your skin, joints and blood vessel walls.”
People with EDS typically have increased levels of histamines in their system. Histamines are the chemicals released from the body’s immune system that send messages to different cells. Higher levels of this chemical can often be the cause of pain for people with EDS.
Because EDS is a genetic disorder, the Mayo Clinic says there is a 50% chance of a parent with hypermobile EDS, the most common type, to pass it on to their children.
Two out of the Taylor’s three children also have EDS. Their youngest two children were diagnosed through the genetics testing at Children’s Hospital.
Physical therapy is often recommended for people with EDS to help lessen pain as well as strengthen the body.
For Greg, that means focusing his time at Oxford Physical Therapy on things like balance and stability, but also using techniques like dry needling to help with pain.
“The therapists I’ve had, there’s been numerous of them, but all of them are very interested in helping me,” said Greg. “Where a lot of these other places, they just want you in and out.”
Greg’s current therapist says that “everyday is a little different.”
“We have long-term goals, short-term goals,” his therapist explained. “We’ve just kind of been focusing on his complaints for the day.”
Greg says his main goal right now is to stand straight and walk, “like an Egyptian.”
Greg’s therapist said he tries to make Greg’s goals “observable and measurable.”
“People will notice like ‘he’s standing taller’ or ‘he’s walking further,’” he explained.
Greg’s wife Pam says that they’ve not only embraced the world of physical therapy, but also that of nutrition to help his condition. The couple is soy and gluten free and does their best to eat organically.
“A lot of times when you start eating very healthy with the organic and the grass-fed beef, things like that, your cravings go down,” explained Pam. “So you’re spending a little bit more on your diet, but honestly the end result is you’re not because you’re healthier.”
The Taylors get their beef, poultry and in-season vegetables from a farm near their home and do their best to consume only a small amount of processed food. Pam said that she often uses apps to scan items in their home to determine their contents too.
Greg doesn’t take pain killers to help with the pain caused by EDS. He focuses on his diet and exercise instead.
Three days a week for the last 15 years, Pam has taken Greg to his physical therapy appointments.
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“It’s just part of life,” said Pam. “He really enjoys himself here.”
“I don’t do much,” said Greg. “When I wake up in the morning, it gives me great pleasure to come to physical therapy.”
Despite the challenges Greg has faced due to EDS, his wife said that he has a great personality, is witty and enjoys life.
Written by intern Shae Meade, 2024
