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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…

Asking someone for a favor can be an intimidating moment. As humans, we enjoy the satisfaction of being able to independently handle the different things life throws our way, and we take pride in the things we’re able to accomplish on our own. Even if life hinders us…

With the passing of Halloween last week and my mind turning to all things nightmarish, I have noticed that living  with systemic scleroderma could be referred to as a “horror movie.” This particular Halloween, scleroderma didn’t fail me in terms of providing its own ugly…

I’ve always been a highly sensitive person, even prior to getting scleroderma. So, I’m not a big movie fan, as I get distressed at the violent, misogynist, and twisted thinking that seems to go into the production of many of the cinematic offerings available these days.

For many years now society has had an influence on setting standards women are expected to abide by. Cooking, cleaning, childbearing, and cuteness are a few fundamental C’s when being scoped out by a potential mate. There’s a predestined mentality programmed into our minds, and despite the evolution…

Scleroderma is often a progressive disease, unless someone is fortunate enough to go into remission. For me, remission is but a distant dream. I have even experienced a progression in a number of my symptoms as of late. Particularly, I’ve had increased…

Invisible Disabilities Week, Oct. 15-21, started Sunday, combining with the ongoing October Raynaud’s Awareness Month campaign. It made this a very busy week for our global patient community with awareness-raising opportunities. I have detailed my Raynaud’s reality, highlighting the immense…

There is a very good case to be made for aiming for the stars. I am all for people setting amazing goals and then managing to achieve them. I see it often in the media — those extraordinary individuals who are able to overcome adversity and…

Every morning I am woken early by my husband, Max, brandishing a cup of tea and some toast. My body is always stiff, sore and swollen. I am unable to do very much until I’ve eaten something so I can take my pain relief medications.

There is a magical period of peace every day in everyone’s life, a brief time when we can completely let go and forget our troubles. This beautiful escape is called sleep. It’s the only time we are completely unaware and able to unplug our brains. Sleep is one…