As an 18-year-old, Mei Ashton has accomplished a lot in her life. She has met infamous celebrities, travelled the world, and successfully launched her own crochet business.
All the while, dealing with four rare, invisible diseases.
Towards the end of her sophomore year of high school in 2022, Ashton said she began to experience stomach issues. Having trouble digesting and feeling sick after eating, Ashton said she knew something was wrong, while others tried to pass it off as another teenage girl with gut problems.
After over a year of doctor’s visits and lots of trial and error, Ashton said she was diagnosed with gastroparesis, Nutcracker Syndrome (NSC), Super Mesenteric Artery Syndrome (SMAS), and most recently, Autoimmune Progestrone Dermatitis (APD).
“I [would] feel really bad for anyone who had the same stuff as me, because it’s not easy to manage, but I’m glad it’s me. I’m not sure if that makes sense, but I’m glad that I have it rather than someone else,” Ashton said.
Since her diagnosis, Ashton has transitioned from Olympia High School to Florida Virtual School while managing a 90 percent liquid diet. She said she has done her best to utilize medical mixes, protein powders, and broths to maintain a healthy weight and avoid a feeding tube.
“She manages her diet entirely on her own, which is baffling to me because if roles were reversed, I would have asked for a feeding tube and called it a day,” Jeannie Lee, Ashton’s mom, said in an email. “She’s taking the difficult path. People don’t see her jump around, stretch, or get on her walking mat after every meal to help digest. No complaining, no victim mentality for her.”
After learning how to crochet during the pandemic, Ashton said she fostered her love for the craft during the early stages of her diagnosis. She taught herself how to create clothes and plushies and design patterns. She later started her crochet business, AMEIzing Art USA, where she began teaching classes at local coffee shops, selling patterns in her online shop, and posting about it on her growing social media accounts.
“My body doesn’t feel good, and I need something to do to take my mind off of it and put me at ease, so [crochet] became a therapy for me,” Ashton said.
Her crafty passion turned into a funding avenue for her worldwide graduation trip. Instead of walking the stage to conclude her academic career, Ashton decided to visit 12 countries– one for every year of school.
With the help of friends and family, Ashton visited Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Austria, Iceland, Norway, England, France, Malaysia, and Singapore– where Ashton said she hopes to move to in the future.
During her travels, she said she was able to become more independent in terms of managing food she could eat on her limited diet while abroad.
“I enjoyed myself on that trip, and I think that taught me a lot about managing my food, because I always had to be on the lookout for places I could go to get food,” Ashton said. “ Being able to do it myself, I feel like that’s come far from where I was.”
Ashton has shared her crochet and travel journey on her social media accounts, while also bringing attention to her invisible illnesses. She has built up a community of 33K on Instagram and 65.8K on TikTok.
“I don’t know how her little posts get the reach they get,” Lee said. “But she’s authentic, real, and honest, which I think it appeals to people. She’s wholesome, fun, light. She makes a conscious effort not to post anything negative because she believes there is enough negativity online.”
She continues to share crochet tutorials, products she created, and some of her favorite moments, like meeting celebrities such as actor Daniel Radcliffe at his Broadway show “Merrily We Roll Along” or singer Laufey at one of her concerts.
“I would say that [posting on social media] didn’t quite help my business as much, but it helped my soul, like knowing that people are happy that I’m giving crochet tutorials and showing inspiration, because comments were nice,” Ashton said.
Ashton said she has seen her platform and her crochet business reach globally as people have purchased her crochet patterns from countries such as Hungary, Australia, Poland, and India.
With every purchase, Ashton ensures she is spreading awareness of her invisible illnesses by including a message about her conditions to educate her consumers.
“It’s kind of nice to know you know that people do care and are kind and understanding,” Ashton said. “I guess, it’s my biggest thing when it comes to my health, I mean, it’s not a big deal to other people, what they see or what they say, but it is to me.”
Instagram: @ameizingartusa
TikTok: @meiscrochet
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