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A veteran soldier wounded in action. A firefighter crawling through a cascade of flames to save a baby. A husband suggesting his wife go to the gym for her New Year’s resolution. These are examples of different forms of bravery. Bravery can be defined in many ways, depending…

Again on this New Year’s Eve, I found myself with the same thought as every other year: “Well, I survived another year living with scleroderma. I wonder how the next one will go.” I am certain that living with chronic…

Stress to a sick person is like adding gasoline to a burning flame to put it out — it just doesn’t work. When living with a life-changing illness, one tends to forget how things were before the disease took over. Inflammation is the root of many diseases, but…

The human body is lined with more than 100,000 miles of veins, capillaries, and blood vessels. These intricate pathways carry blood throughout the body to filter it, heal wounds, and oxygenate our cells. With scleroderma, the overproduction of collagen significantly damages the blood vessels, making it an obstacle…

The other weekend, Max and I went away and I made a brave step regarding my struggle to stay active (or not) while living with scleroderma. There are many people who have instructed me to try things that I knew wouldn’t work for me…

As Christmas approaches, I always become rather nostalgic. It marks the end of another year, and despite trying not to, I tend to look back to the same time last year and note how my health has further declined thanks to scleroderma. This process always begins…

The holidays are the most joyful time of the year for many. Surrounded by loved ones, it’s a time for making new memories, eating delicious food, and focusing on all the happy feelings stored within. There’s a cheerful buzz in the air from November to January that warms…

Systemic scleroderma is a rare disease. According to the Cleveland Clinic, its annual incidence is only about 20 cases per 1 million adults in the United States.  I have experienced many medical professionals who acknowledge they have heard of scleroderma, but know…

While scrolling through my Facebook page the other day, I came across someone’s post that read, “If you had to wear a warning label, what would yours read?” I thought quite hard about the question, because as someone who lives with scleroderma,…

There is a certain type of person I have encountered on my scleroderma journey. These individuals just cannot control their compulsion to share ideas about why I have scleroderma. Unfortunately, they annoyingly continue to pop up occasionally in my life with their theories…