There was a time when I felt like life was asking more of me than I knew how to give. Between battles with my mental health and being diagnosed with Hirayama disease—a condition so rare that it eventually required me to have my C5 through C7 vertebrae fused with rods and screws at just 22 years old—I learned how quickly life can change.
For a while, I questioned why these things happened to me. But somewhere along the way, I realized that pain doesn't have to be the end of your story. Sometimes it's the beginning of your purpose.
That's why I created All Love Co
My name is Owen Sullivan and I have lived in Amesbury, Massachusetts since I was 3 months old. I may never have shown it specifically, but I struggled severely with mental health issues all throughout my life. I went to Amesbury High School for three and a half years, and played soccer each one. I had some really close friends, but occasionally felt extremely isolated for some of my behavioral problems that were a byproduct of my mental health. Despite this, I was able to graduate high school online, and eventually graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Minor in Entrepreneurship from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.
I certainly had my challenges in college as well, but as of May 2026, I am a college graduate.
I worked as a para-professional with children on the spectrum at a local elementary school as a substitute teacher for two years. They called me "Mr. Owen" because I am absolutely not Mr. Sullivan (that is my Dad...). I used to play 1v1 basketball against the boys in the grade, and crack jokes with the fifth graders (as well as the faculty, staff, students in every other grade, and even some parents who were willing to listen too). Some may say I "do not ever shut up and need to stop talking," but the kids at school never did. So thanks for listening, guys!
Right out of college I received a job offer working with children on the spectrum for a great company called Kindle Behavioral Consultants. On the way home every day I would experience Boston traffic, which SUCKS, but one of my absolutely favorite things in the world is blasting music, so I made the best of it. Bostonians love to honk every chance they get, so maybe I need to start marketing this brand on the highway. Share the road and have some patience, Bostonians! This brand seriously may help them realize that they need to calm down and stop being A-holes...
Anyway, when I received that job offer I was so proud of myself, and thought I'd finally done it; I'd finally made it to the light at the end of the tunnel... But just as I started the job, an odd issue with the grip strength in my hands and forearms became so severe that I was incapable of cutting my own nails.
I went to my PCP and a neurologist, got four MRIs, then went to both Mass General in Boston and Boston Children's Hospital -- legitimately two of the world's most renowned medical facilities.
The result: I was diagnosed with Hirayama Disease. This is a disease that affects 1.5 out of every 100,000 people. At my lowest, my mom used to tell me that I'm one in a million, and some day people are going to see that. Sorry Mom, your estimate was off -- I'm 1 in 100,000 (OK, a little less than that, but I don't want to do the math right now. Don't ask me how I did in those classes).
After surgery I was in the hospital for five days, unable to walk, and despite being injected with one of the strongest and most effective IV pain relievers, taking more pain killers every three hours, drinking a ton of electrolytes and accepting any other medicine they could give me, I was in the single worst pain I had ever experienced in my life. I slept for an hour a night for five nights and had a catheter in for 10 days because I couldn't urinate on my own. I'm 22, not 85, so uhh... you could say I never expected to know the pain of a catheter. If you are reading this and have experience with catheters, I was "straight cathed" six times and finally got a Foley catheter before leaving the hospital. If you do not have any experience with that, for lack of better words, it sucks a bag of you-know-whats.
I had just bought my own car, started paying for my own car insurance, my own health and dental, and my $1000-a-month student loans. (Tennessee was great, but gosh, stay in state for college!). Along with this, I have all of my medical bills for the surgery, follow-ups, PT, and therapy.
This entire experience could make someone with my mental health issues break. The pain, the suffering, the debt, the boredom. Not me.
The day I left the hospital I started this clothing brand. I built it from the ground up, entirely by myself, in short spurts when I wasn't sleeping or screaming in pain.
I created a GoFundMe, but didn't wish to share it, nor will I. I don't want pity money, because I will never stop fighting, and to me that wouldn't have felt like I generated my own success.
I have told my parents time and time again my favorite quote, from a Derrick Rose clip I used to watch in middle school, and occasionally still do watch when I need some true motivation. The quote is this: "If you want to be successful as bad as you want to breathe, then you'll be successful." The context is that a guru brought a man to the ocean at four in the morning and nearly drowned him, but just as the man was about to suffocate, he pulled him out. The man gasped for air. The guru then asked, "what did you want there, what were you thinking?" The man responded, "I wanted to breathe." The guru replied, "Until you are being drowned and the only thing your body needs is oxygen, you will always have other things on your mind that you think matter." (I am sort of paraphrasing, haven't watched it in a while, but that's the gist.)
If you want to be successful as bad as bad as you want to breathe, then you'll be successful.
A few weeks into recovery I was able to walk down to a local coffee shop. In high school I never would have done that on my own due to anxiety, but now I'm not afraid of anything. Other than sharks. I'm very afraid of sharks, 'cause, like, what if you're in the ocean and you just get eaten by a shark! You may be thinking "that's so rare!" but so is Hirayama Disease, so uhh, if it could happen to anyone, I promise it would be me.
I saw two older couples enjoying a Sunday coffee and and asked if I could sit with them and talk about my brand. I'm not sure if they said yes initially because I was wearing a neck brace... but eventually, after our 45-minute conversation, we laughed, joked, and they gave me some really helpful leads on how to form a successful business and some next steps, which I truly appreciated. If y'all are reading this -- and I know I said y'all because I told them, verbatim, "I went to school in Tennessee, and 'you all' or 'you guys' is too many words. Just say y'all!" I don't care if I'm from Massachusetts, I am unapologetic about it and that will be in my vocabulary for the rest of my life. No, I don't have a Boston accent, but I don't really have any accent, so WHATEVER!
After just two weeks of starting my brand, if you searched All Love Co or All Love Company, you'd see my website as the first thing that popped up. I am extremely proud of that. (I guess the Search Engine Optimization work I hated in my classes paid off.)
I posted to a local private group named Amesbury Talks. Sorry, you cannot join unless you live here. It's so interesting that 90% of the time on this feed, people are asking for help moving or recommendations for rug cleaners!
This is exactly what I said: "You may see me walking around town in a neck brace, you may see me look uncomfortable, but you will never see me looking down or distraught. Not anymore. You may want to stare or ask what happened. Please do. And when we end that conversation, I am going to say 'All Love,' and I will truly mean it." This simple phrase can be so powerful in a time where people are hurting so bad, even if they don't show it, so please spread kindness and positivity through the community. No one should ever feel alone, and I mean no one. You have resources, you have people to talk to, and hopefully you will now join me in this movement and join the All Love Community. Please consider buying something from my store to support, wearing it wherever you can, telling my story, or just simply saying "All Love" to peers, family, friends, and even strangers. You may save a life without even realizing it. I ordered 50 wrist bands that should be coming in soon, I'd love to give some out to small local businesses, and if you see me and we have a chat there's a chance I'll have one in my pocket for you too.
Thank you for hearing my story. Normalize the Struggle. Celebrate the Journey.
All Love - Owen"
If you've made it this far, you have achieved a skill not many have, which is an attention span over 30 seconds. (My dad is an author and journalist, so he strongly dislikes that.)
Regardless, thank you for listening to my story. Please join my movement.
Normalize the Struggle. Celebrate the Journey.
And once again,
All Love - Owen ❤️