Columns

https://sclerodermanews.com/wp-content/uploads/videos/nicola-vlog.mp4 Here in the northern hemisphere we are in the midst of winter. In an attempt to minimize my Raynaud’s symptoms, hibernation began in October. This entails being under house arrest, unless I really need to go out. Such “special days” out are reserved for medical appointments…

  Having scleroderma and trying to stay motivated is a challenge at the best of times, and particularly so for me currently. In New Zealand our schools and universities are closed. This means ordinary life is somewhat disrupted, as my youngest child is here much of the time,…

If my body were featured in a circus sideshow attraction (that’s every woman’s fantasy, right?), the announcer might exclaim, “Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages, come see the spotted lady with the world’s skinniest limbs and largest belly!” I am covered with red and purple splotches…

My Cat Willow Pictured is my cat, Willow. Two days prior to New Years Eve she was hit by a car outside our house. We witnessed the event, and tried our very best to restrain and help her, but she ended up bolting as fast…

His face was scattered with crater-like acne scars and budding new pimples. I remember his beady eyes being a muddy-brown and void of compassion. The sinking feeling that rippled through me as we passed in our high school hallways is branded in my visceral memory. His name…

I remember clearly the day I was given my diagnosis of systemic scleroderma. However, I think it was quite some time after this that I got my diagnosis of systemic scleroderma. “Being given” and “ getting” are two different things. The first happened in the matter of a…

What in the world is going on with my phone? I held up my cell phone to show my fellow clueless Generation X friend the loud alerts that were beeping through cyber space. Um, I’m not really sure what’s happening, but I think my story just went viral.

New Year’s resolutions: Like them or not, there is plenty to be said about the whole idea at this time of the year. I recall the last time I resolved to make a new year’s change. It was just prior to my disease being diagnosed, and it was…

Every scleroderma patient presents with differing symptoms. Diffuse/systemic scleroderma affects the entire body, making the need for a multi-disciplinary medical team paramount to ensure optimum patient care. Attending and preparing for medical appointments is a full-time job, even when the symptoms have stabilized. In the U.K. we are…

This column is dedicated to all the chronically ill mothers who, despite the often-invisible internal battle raging inside them 24/7, fight every day to do their best for their kids. I identify with the pain you feel as you drive to your child’s end-of-year awards ceremony, cannot find an…