“The pain cascaded through my body, like someone was endlessly stabbing me everywhere.” This is the burden that Shant Cimenian has lived with his entire life. At just nine months old, he was diagnosed with familial Mediterranean fever (FMF), a rare and incurable genetic disease that causes episodes of excruciating pain, often lasting for several days without respite.

Between episodes, Shant lives a perfectly normal life—he goes to school and work, attends church, and spends time with his friends and family—and most people would never guess that he endures such suffering. Now, after a lifetime of keeping his disease hidden, Shant shares his experience of living with this “invisible” disease.