Hi, I’m Christina, but my friends call me Steena. I’m a variety streamer who enjoys playing RPGs, strategic / puzzle, & Retro games. I bring a memory foam “butt pillow” every time I go somewhere that I can’t lay down. Allow me to explain... In 2014, I was 1 year away from getting my Masters in Social Work, when I found out I’d need a 14-level spinal fusion (basically all my vertebrae aside from the neck area needed to be caged and anchored to my pelvis with screws), or I’d risk becoming paralyzed from the waist down. There were various complications after this first set of surgeries, including blood clots in my lungs, excessive bleeding that only more surgery could stop, and severe anemia. This was a lot to hear for active person who was going to school and interning at the same time. I’d known I had scoliosis since 4th grade, but it isn't normal for it to continue getting worse as an adult. My spine didn’t fuse properly after the first set of surgeries. This caused one of my pelvic anchors to detach, & so I needed the whole surgery redone the following year. This, coupled with the other aforementioned health complications, led me to drop out of grad school & reconsider my future in NY. The sudden drastic changes in physical functioning, goals, and income led me to move to FL, then later NC, where the cost of living is far more affordable. As soon as I got to NC in 2016, I joined a (pseudo)scientific & religious skeptic’s meetup group, where I met a lot of the friends I still have today, as well as my incredible, kind, supportive fiancé. We have 2 kitties & a pupper, and 2 amazing (step)kids. We just bought a house in January 2018, & we plan on getting married on Halloween 2020. We’re having a gamer themed wedding, of course ;) I absolutely love it here in the mountains, I love my life, and I adore my new family and the friends I’ve made since moving here. Just two months ago, I found out I have something called Marfan’s Syndrome, which is a connective tissue disorder that’s likely responsible for the scoliosis, pectus excavatum (sunken chest), eye & heart problems I have. (The endometriosis, CHS & GERD are just added bonuses, yay!) It feels really good to know there’s a reason I deal with most of the health issues I do, and that I’m not alone in any of it. And neither are you <3 I believe that we are absolutely stronger together.
Since I’ve become disabled, I can’t sit at a desk for more than 10 minutes at a time without it causing excessive pain. That’s why I can no longer work, and I always game laying down in bed, which still hurts, but usually much less. I sometimes get bad pain flares no matter what I do, so I apologize if I have to suddenly cancel a stream on short notice. Despite my struggles with chronic pain & disability, I won’t let any of it stop me from doing what I love, and being part of this awesome community that makes me smile every single day!