What It’s Really Like to Be Hospitalized for 4 Years Without a Diagnosis

Keely Cat-Wells spent 4 years in and out of hospitals with no diagnosis, lost her dream career in dance, and underwent life-changing surgeries before rebuilding her life as a disability advocate, entrepreneur, and founder of Making Space. In this episode of What It’s Really Like, Keely opens up about chronic illness, medical trauma, ableism in Hollywood, getting an ileostomy at a young age, and how she turned some of the hardest years of her life into a global mission for disability inclusion. Follow Keely: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keely_cat_wells Making Space: https://www.instagram.com/_making_space__ 📚 ORDER MY MEMOIR: UNSEEN: How I Lost My Vision but Found My Voice — available now! Tap the link in bio to get your copy. 🐾 Support My GoFundMe for The Mira Foundation (guide dogs for the blind): https://gofund.me/5d8fc57f 🛍 Shop My Amazon Favorites: www.amazon.com/shop/mollyburke (Find my go-to vision boarding book, motivational stickers, and more in the Health & Wellness section!) 🐝 Join the Killer Bee Club on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mollyburke 🎧 Listen to my audiobook “It’s Not What It Looks Like” on Audible: https://audible.com/mollyburke 📲 FOLLOW ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Instagram: @mollyburkeofficial TikTok: @mollyburkeofficial Twitter: @mollybofficial Facebook: Molly Burke Official 🌐 Learn more about me: http://mollyburkeofficial.com Hi! I’m Molly Burke — a fashion-loving, sushi-obsessed, makeup-wearing millennial who just so happens to be blind. Diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa at 4 years old, I began public speaking at age 5 and haven’t stopped since. From motivational talks to modeling, I’m passionate about creating a more inclusive world for people with disabilities. Even though I can’t see, I believe there’s always a bright side — and I’m here to help you find it. 💕 Chapters: 00:00 Cold Open: Realizing “I’m Disabled” 00:48 Meet Keely Cat-Wells 02:04 Growing Up in the English Countryside 03:31 Bullying, Dyslexia, and Finding Dance 05:06 What Dyslexia Actually Feels Like 06:27 Accommodations, Tech, and School Struggles 08:33 Why Invisible Disabilities Often Go Unrecognized 10:20 Disability Seating and Not “Looking Disabled” 11:30 Ballet, Tap, and Different Creative Styles 15:20 Auditioning for Dance School 17:36 The First Signs Something Was Wrong 19:02 Doctors Dismissing Women’s Pain 22:03 Being Accused of Having an Eating Disorder 24:22 Medical Testing, Trauma, and Not Being Believed 28:10 The Test That Changed Everything 32:42 Facing Life-Saving Surgery 35:30 The First Ostomy Representation Keely Saw 38:08 When the World Says Your Disability Is “Worse Than Death” 40:07 Ehlers-Danlos and Leaving the Hospital 42:02 Learning to Live With an Ileostomy 44:00 Finding Disabled Community Online 46:00 Why Disabled Friendships Matter 48:07 Rebuilding a Career After Dance 50:15 Rebuilding Her Body After Years in Hospital 54:16 The Moment Keely Started Identifying as Disabled 57:10 Who Gets to Call Themselves Disabled? 1:02:50 Using a Mobility Aid for the First Time 1:06:15 The Fear of Being Accused of Faking 1:09:00 Cane vs. Guide Dog: How People Treat Molly Differently 1:12:04 Pretty Privilege, Passing, and Disability Representation 1:15:53 From London Trauma to a Fresh Start in LA 1:18:20 Moving to LA Against Doctor’s Orders 1:22:00 Why LA Felt Like Home 1:28:35 Deciding to Move Countries 1:32:15 Starting C Talent 1:34:10 Fighting Stereotypes in Film and TV 1:36:12 Why Disabled People Make Great Entrepreneurs 1:38:18 Creating Making Space 1:39:15 What Making Space Does Today 1:42:05 What’s Next for Keely 1:45:00 How an Ostomy Bag Actually Works 1:48:00 Food, Blockages, and Daily Life With an Ileostomy 1:50:50 Why We Need to Talk About Bodily Functions 1:52:05 Women’s Pain, IUDs, and Medical Gaslighting 1:53:04 What It’s Really Like to Be Keely Cat-Wells 1:57:00 Where to Find Keely 1:57:45 Molly’s Outro and Book Updates