Hi, I'm Tara. I currently live with my mom, our dog, PJ, and my cat, Lyric, in Northeastern Pennsylvania. I created Move the Chains to share two big parts of my life: living with PosturalOrthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), a form of Dysautonomia, and my love of the San Francisco 49ers. At first glance, those two things might seem like totally disparate topics, but for me, they're deeply connected.

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I developed POTS over 20 years ago after sustaining a head injury. Overnight, I went from being a healthy young woman working at a job I loved and pursuing a Master’s degree in Special Education to someone who was bedridden and had to crawl to get around my house. Withtreatment, my life with POTS has been a series of ups and downs. For the past decade, I have been unable to work and spend my days fighting to get my life back. My fight is where the San Francisco 49ers come into play.

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I became a 49ers fan as a teenager the day that I turned on my TV just as the camera zoomed inon Quarterback Joe Montana. It was love at first sight, and that day, I watched my first footballgame. The more I watched the 49ers, the more I fell in love with both the team and the game of pro football. After I developed POTS, the 49ers games became a metaphor for my life. Myteam’s fight against their opponents mimicked my fight against POTS. The 49ers became both my inspiration and my motivation.

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Move the Chains is a place where I will share my journey with chronic illness and facing life'sadversities, my love of the 49ers and pro football, and how my favorite team keeps me battling toget my life back. I hope Move the Chains becomes more than just a blog - it becomes a team huddle for 49ers fans to share their love for the team and how the Niners (or another team) inspire and motivate you in your own life, a place for people with chronic illness or other adversities to share your own stories, and what inspires you to keep fighting to move your own proverbial chains.