Comfortable in My Thick Skin - Lisa Goodman-Helfand

Many people tell me they worry about how much pain I endure and wonder if having scleroderma hurts. I rarely address this because I don’t want others to worry about me. I also…

Have you ever seen a stranger in distress and wanted to help them, but weren’t sure if it was appropriate? When we see someone on crutches, we know we should make an…

I think the world would be a far better place if people could do two simple things: Ask for help when they’re in over their heads. Admit when they’re wrong and adjust their behavior…

I think about skin a lot more than most white people. I know that’s a really weird statement, but it’s true. Because my skin looks so different, I am quite aware that my skin influences…

Having lived with scleroderma since I was 10 years old, I’ve grown accustomed to being asked intrusive questions about my appearance by random strangers. I’ve developed a pretty thick skin (pun intended) over the…

Stretch marks, belly flab, a double C-section scar, dark circles under my eyes for the next 18 years: the postpartum party gifts I was expecting as I was wheeled in for a scheduled C-section…

Flower arrangements shaped like ice cream sundaes, new pajamas, stuffed animals, books, bracelets, and countless other trinkets. These are the gifts I remember receiving during the three-day hospital stay that followed my dermatologist’s diagnosis of juvenile…

Editor’s Note: In Lisa Goodman-Helfand’s debut article for her column “Comfortable in My Thick Skin,” she tells her own scleroderma diagnosis story. Her experience with the disease began at age 10, when little was understood about…