Scleroderma and the Ordinary Girl — Kim Tocker

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…

Anniversaries: The date on which a particular event took place. Some of them we like to remember. Others we don’t. This time of year brings around several significant anniversaries for me. Our wedding anniversary is in early…

Several years ago when I was working as a therapist, I came across the work of Elaine Aron – The Highly Sensitive Person.  After reading her first book I quickly realized she was describing me! It…

I had been thinking the camera on my phone is faulty.  It seems to have been mistakenly set to “red spotty chipmunk face” mode for the past year or so, and I just couldn’t seem to change…

Five years ago, Christchurch, New Zealand, was woken with a huge earthquake rated 7.3 on the Richter scale, with the epicenter just three kilometers from our house. I recall sprinting up the hallway at about 3 a.m.

My rheumatologist refers to my fatigue as being “profound.” Most days I can’t think of a better word to describe it. Let me share a typical day with you. I’m sure chronically ill people who struggle with fatigue can…

“If you didn’t have scleroderma then you’d be a normal Mum, aye?” Our youngest was making a comment about how he loves going for bike rides with his Dad, and wished I could come, too. In the same conversation,…

Yes, scleroderma certainly has affected my self-esteem in many ways. But help is at hand! This weekend there was a big sale at our local “everything” store. You know those stores, the ones that have all manner of household items, from…

              This week my husband Max surprised me with a day trip to Akaroa — he must have read my last column! Outings such as this can be big undertakings for…

It seems to me that managing Systemic Scleroderma is a battle that occurs daily in order to balance life and survive. Should I bother to do that laundry that’s been piling up, or should I rest? (Hmm, what’s more…

Social media is an intriguing thing, isn’t it? It can be wonderful to have sites such as Scleroderma News at our fingertips, and I do believe the internet is a platform that can provide encouragement, the latest information, and…

Hello, and welcome to my ordinary girl column. This is my very first piece of writing, so it makes sense to introduce myself and “set the scene” for what I hope will be a useful and helpful read for…