Keeping Secrets
by Orchid Press “The man who can keep a secret may be wise, but he is not half as wise as the man with no secrets to keep.” Edgar Watson Howe (1853-1937) Mr. Howe most assuredly didn’t have the AIS woman in mind when he wrote the above quote. Perhaps he would have modified it somewhat if he knew of the secrets kept by us all at some point in our lives. Many of us grew up with family members that never spoke of AIS, treating it like a gorilla in the corner. We know it’s there, but we’re not going to talk about it. Keeping the AIS secret for years through adolescence and early adulthood can cause feelings that you’re “not normal” or a “freak,” especially if no one in your family tells you otherwise or takes the time to explain what AIS is all about. And, for many of us, our doctors kept us in the dark as well, withholding the truth or shying away from explaining the medical aspects of AIS; thus, another layer of secrecy. In some instances, this was further compounded by doct