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It’s the middle of summer here in New Zealand. Today the temperature reached 91 degrees Fahrenheit — we Kiwis consider that pretty hot for Down Under.   During the summer months, Christchurch puts on many outdoor events, and Max and I decided it would…

I’m going to fess up: sometimes I Google my symptoms.    I know it’s not a sensible thing to do, especially when I come across a website that goes into details about disease progression and prognosis. After all, each case of scleroderma…

I survived the holidays! As fellow patients living with chronic, degenerative, rare diseases know all too well, there is no holiday from our daily myriad symptoms. The holidays can be isolating and difficult, as sometimes I am physically unable to join festivities. I am hypervigilant about…

Electric scooters have come to Christchurch! For the cost of a few dollars, you can ride around town on these zippy wee numbers to see the sights, get to where you’re going without walking, and best of all, have some fun. My husband…

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…