Last weekend was our son’s graduation in Dunedin, a city in southern New Zealand that is home to Otago University. We were extremely proud to be there to watch him receive his degree in physical education. Traveling to Dunedin involved a five-hour car…
The festive holiday season is here. To mark the occasion, check out my little “dream team” Christmas jumper video. Christmas jumper day. (All photos courtesy of Nicole Whitehill) As patients living with a chronic, debilitating, and rare autoimmune disease, we know all too well…
Here in New Zealand, the festive season is upon us. Your average Kiwi Christmas in the Down Under is vastly different from holiday celebrations in the Northern Hemisphere. Today’s temperature is 29 degrees Celsius and barbecues all around the country are being cleaned for Christmas Day.
This week, I am celebrating my 20th year since first dragging my “tin-man” body to the Scleroderma Unit at the Royal Free Hospital in London. September 2017. (Courtesy of Nicola Whitehill) The previous year, at the time of my initial diagnosis in September 1997,…
I’m horrified to discover that I’ve been keeping a secret from myself, locked away in my subconscious. It has to do with my scleroderma and what I appear to have been secretly believing about it. I’m not sure why I haven’t stumbled across this…
Scleroderma is a pretty “random” disease. I think the word “random” sums it up nicely for me at the moment. Currently, my symptoms are haphazard, ranging from heart palpitations and low oxygen levels one day to spending the next day in bed with…
At the start of December, I will be celebrating my 20th year since first dragging my “tin-man” body to the Scleroderma Unit at the Royal Free Hospital in London. September 2017. (Courtesy of Nicola Whitehill) The previous year, at the time of my…
At times, I can become really despondent when I see the changes that scleroderma has caused to my physical appearance. One of those times happened last weekend when I was trying to decide what to wear to a friend’s wedding. As usual, the normal kerfuffle occurred…
Systemic scleroderma has taught me many things; some useful and interesting, and others relating to the more difficult side of life. When the disease hit me, it was like a tornado wiped out every energy store I had, leaving me empty and depleted. Because of this,…
The skin is the largest organ in the body and is affected in most scleroderma patients. At the time of my diffuse scleroderma diagnosis in 1997, I had extremely tight skin across my chest, arms, hands, face, legs — all over my body. My…
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