Scleroderma and the Ordinary Girl
— Kim Tocker

For years, when I was a practicing counselor, I used cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) as a part of my eclectic approach to to working with clients. One aspect of CBT is understanding what you subconsciously or consciously believe about certain problematic situations in life. The…

These last few weeks have been some of the worst I can remember. Not only have I been trying to process the terror attack in my hometown, but also we had to say farewell to our beautiful old ginger tabby cat Otis, who we were…

Two weeks ago my world was rocked by the mass terrorist shooting in two of our central city mosques here in Christchurch.   In February I wrote a column about finding healing in kindness. Reading back through it makes me very sad. It now feels…

The medical police, aka my cardiologist team, have advised me to do no more than very gentle walks. I am not permitted to do anything more intense because we are waiting for cardiology test results. No weight training, no cycling, no strenuous kickboxing sessions.

Sometimes when I’m sitting in my recliner thinking about the meaning of life, I find myself fantasizing about how my funeral will go.  In my mind’s eye, it’s going to be a great party, with vases of sunflowers everywhere, plenty of my special…

Burnout is often used to describe what can happen to those living with constant stress, resulting in complete physical, emotional, and spiritual exhaustion. A person can become chronically anxious, fatigued, angry, depressed, detached, and cynical. Interestingly, I notice that I feel all of…

I had to travel to another part of the country last week. The outing was unplanned, but I’m never one to turn down a road trip if the opportunity arises. I packed my car with my medications, and accompanied by pleas from my husband to drive…

The chronically unwell face plenty of daily challenges, some big and some small. But my latest battle was brought to my attention by binge-watching a TV series. I am a huge “Grace and Frankie” fan and have suddenly found my life much more interesting…

It’s the middle of summer here in New Zealand. Today the temperature reached 91 degrees Fahrenheit — we Kiwis consider that pretty hot for Down Under.   During the summer months, Christchurch puts on many outdoor events, and Max and I decided it would…

I’m going to fess up: sometimes I Google my symptoms.    I know it’s not a sensible thing to do, especially when I come across a website that goes into details about disease progression and prognosis. After all, each case of scleroderma…

Electric scooters have come to Christchurch! For the cost of a few dollars, you can ride around town on these zippy wee numbers to see the sights, get to where you’re going without walking, and best of all, have some fun. My husband…

Last weekend was our son’s graduation in Dunedin, a city in southern New Zealand that is home to Otago University. We were extremely proud to be there to watch him receive his degree in physical education. Traveling to Dunedin involved a five-hour car…