Dawn Levitt, Author

Organ Donors Save Lives Today is the last day of February, which means it is the last day of Heart Month.

An overview of my life with Congenital Heart Disease which led to two heart transplants, shared with a fellow HCM Warrior.
#chronicillness
#disability

Organ Donors Save Lives
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Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Awareness Day February 25, 2026, is Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Awareness Day.

What do you know about your own heart health?

February 25 is Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Awareness Day. Join me in learning about the congenital heart disease that changed, and nearly ended, my life.

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Awareness Day
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Mom whose 7-year-old has brain swelling from measles still wouldn’t vaccinate EXCLUSIVE: South Carolina parents living in the state’s measles epicenter tell Rhian Lubin of their devastation after their unvaccinated 7-year-old son, Ethan, developed encephalitis, a complication f...

Too many people will refuse vaccines because they “don’t trust the science”… but run to the hospital when they get sick from the disease they chose not to prevent.

They trust the science when their life is on the line.

It’s stunning hypocrisy and when it’s done to children?

It’s child abuse

The Joy is in the Journey Illness changes you.

Reflections on finding moments of joy in the midst of pain and grief. Small nuggets of light can sustain us in the darkest of times.
#chronicillness
#disability

The Joy is in the Journey
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February 14 is All About the Heart! The entire month of February is focused on hearts - Valentine’s Day, candy hearts, Cupid popping up everywhere.

Important information to protect your own heart as well as saving others.

February 14 is All About the Heart!
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Is Your Medicine Making You Sicker? What you don't know could hurt you

Check out a new tool to help you find out where your generic medication is manufactured and if it’s doing more harm than good.

Share to help others discover this tool!

#chronicillness
#disability

Is Your Medicine Making You Sicker?
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White (hot) Female Rage Around 1 in 3 women have reported being the victim of physical violence from an intimate partner in their lifetime, according to the CDC.

My thoughts on why the murder of a woman in broad daylight is just another rung on the ladder of violence against women.

White (hot) Female Rage
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My Nursing Journey: From Misdiagnosed Teen to Practitioner, Reformer, and Founder of a Whole-Body Healing Platform A nurse practitioner's journey from misdiagnosed teen to healthcare reformer, blending clinical expertise with holistic healing to address chronic illnesses.

"I was losing my life in slow motion—& no 1 could tell me why. I was taken by ambulance over & over. Scan after scan showed “nothing.” My #parents were drowning in #medical bills & I was still slipping further into the unknown.": buff.ly/JLJC63Q

via LymeAlliance
#undiagnosed #LymeDisease #spoonie

The Untold Story behind My Second Heart Transplant It takes a village to save a life

A look behind the curtain of the long and winding road to my second heart transplant and the unexpected source of help and inspiration.
#chronicillness
#disability
#transplant

The Untold Story behind My Second Heart Transplant
open.substack.com/pub/dawnlevi...

Bags under the eyes - A Poem
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Heart Transplant Anniversary – 20 Years How am I still alive?

Today is the 20-year anniversary of my Heart Transplant.
Reflections on survival and fighting every step of the way.

#chronicillness
#disability
#survival

Heart Transplant Anniversary – 20 Years
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New Year, New Me (I don’t think so)

Hope & Healing for the year ahead.

New Year, New Me
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So sorry to hear about your heart troubles. I hope you received good news from your doctor.

Dogs of Christmas Fleas Navidad!

I’ve been lucky enough to share my life with many wonderful dogs over the years. Today, I’m sharing them with you, all dressed up in their holiday attire.
#Dogsky

Dogs of Christmas
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Photo of an ad on the NYC subway. It shows two babies and the text reads “pick your baby.com IQ id 50% genetic”

This is eugenics.

This is a disability rights issue.

This is what we’ve been warning about for years.

“Choose your baby” is another way of saying “eliminate the undesirables”.

It’s out in the open and it’s wrong.

My First Christmas as an Orphan Christmas hits different this year.

A story of grief and generosity and the kindness of strangers.

#grief
#christmas
#kindness

My First Christmas as an Orphan
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Mincemeat and Memories Sweet and Savory

A little taste of Christmas Nostalgia.

Mincemeat and Memories
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Purple book cover with spoon and fire, A SpoonieMs Guide to Self-Acceptance by Kelly Esparza, 4 stars, Esparza’s stunning poetic account of living with lupus is a rattling and gripping exploration of identity, reviewed by Stephen Dundas, on the featured list with other books

A Spoonie’s Guide to Self-Acceptance has been featured on Reedsy Discovery (email): Hi Kelly, We’re pleased to let you know that you’ve made it to the Discovery Featured list! (Trophy emoji) Head over to our homepage to see your book review at the very top! Open Discovery in white letters, gold box —The Reedsy Team

Find your audience. If our reviewers like what they read, your book will receive a high-quality review and be promoted within our community. Top-rated books are spotlighted on our Featured page and in our weekly newsletter, sent to hundreds of thousands of readers.

Screaming! My poetry chapbook that was published by #bottlecappress is FEATURED on the @reedsy.bsky.social discovery site & will be in their newsletter that reaches hundreds of thousands of readers!! Ahhh!

Not every book gets picked up so this is amazing! The link to buy my book is in my bio! ☺️

The Silent Battle: Living in the Shadow of Chronic Pain There are days when you open your eyes and it's already there, waiting.

"Your #attention narrows, necessarily focused on #survival rather than #joy. And in this narrowed state, the world itself seems to shrink until sometimes it feels as though pain is not just in you but is you.": buff.ly/DNiciy5

by @remotetherapy.space
#ChronicPain #ChronicIllness

PETSTACK: Who Rescued Who Plus, a book to save lives, shelters as canaries in the coalmine, a retreat for shelter workers and rescuers

If you need an uplift this weekend, please check out this post by Cindy Ojczyk, featuring Gidget McFidget. She shares the story of how we each rescued the other.

PETSTACK: Who Rescued Who
open.substack.com/pub/cindyojc...

The Day I Met My Organ Donor’s Mother Taking both the sweetness and the sorrow

Eight years ago this month, I met the mother of my heart donor.

Read about the power of organ donation and a mother’s last chance to hear her son’s heartbeat.

#disability
#chronicillness
#transplant

The Day I Met My Organ Donor’s Mother
open.substack.com/pub/dawnlevi...

Today is My Birthday! How did I get to be this old?

Reflections on how I never expected to live to this age along with the realization that I would not be alive today without access to affordable healthcare.
#chronicillness
#disability
#heartdisease
#healthcare
#medicare
#ACA

Today is My Birthday!
open.substack.com/pub/dawnlevi...

Essays in Belonging: Baby Owls, Bobtail Squid, and the Power of Asking 100 Questions “I’ve learned my books aren’t done when I answer question, it’s when I’m asking a new and much better question than when I started.” In her latest book, Held, Kathryn Nuernberger makes …

"Sometimes things hurt in a way that we don’t really have words for ... But somehow I can tell you about looking at a cicada and you’ll understand the really important parts of what I mean." ~ @katnuernberger.bsky.social
brevity.wordpress.com/2025/12/03/e...

Rewriting disability narratives to reflect real inclusion As Australia marks International Day of People with Disabilities, advocates call for a shift from “inspiration” tropes toward authentic disability narratives that reflect genuine inclusion.

“Increasingly, #inspirationPorn is being utilised in overcoming narratives where what is valued by able-bodied #society is used as a performative spectacle by people with #disabilities.”: buff.ly/00lXbBr

from @independentaus.bsky.social
#disability #awareness

Thanksgiving Road Trip and a New Dog in the Family I can’t believe it’s already December.

Every new beginning comes from another beginning’s end.

Thanksgiving Road Trip and a New Dog in the Family
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Giving Thanks Today is Thanksgiving in the United States.

A little history of the holiday and reasons to be thankful for today and every day.

Giving Thanks
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red background: FLARE Magazine logo with heart flame and matches: It's time to vote! Now through December 7th, you can vote for Chill Subs' Community Favorites Best Lit Mag Awards! FLARE gets to participate for the first time! Vote for FLARE, and bring awareness to all we do here!

It's that time again. FLARE gets to participate for the 1st time! If you like what FLARE does, vote for us for Chill Subs' Community Favorites Best Lit Mag Awards (@chillsubs.bsky.social)! Let's spread more awareness about what we're trying to accomplish! Vote: www.chillsubs.com/best-lit-mag...

From My Heart to Yours What it really means

I’m a poet, writer, survivor, stepmom, and dog-mom, living and thriving in my third life. When I say my third life, I mean it. I'm a two-time heart transplant recipient, and I'm living with my third heart.

#chronicillness
#disability
#cptsd

From My Heart to Yours
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leaves background: Author Spotlight: "Jump Scare My Heart" by Dawn Levitt, CNF

Author Spotlight #17: Dawn Levitt (@2heartcore4u.bsky.social) and her CNF piece, "Jump Scare My Heart."
Read her piece here: flaremagazinecom.wordpress.com/jump-scare-m...
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#litmags #authorspotlight #creativenonfiction #healthscares

Thank you for posting my story! Love working with you!