Staying Alive With Scleroderma — Amy Gietzen

A graphic depicting a skeleton walking through a forest with a boombox.

Amy Gietzen resides in Buffalo, New York, with her amazingly supportive family, friends, and three cats. She’s a patient advocate, the creator of the young adult virtual support group SYNC, and a public speaker who travels across the country educating students and medical professionals about scleroderma. Amy was diagnosed with systemic scleroderma in 2001 at 19 years old. She’s also developed idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, pulmonary hypertension, and major heart rhythm issues. In 2020 she received the Ernest Dupont Award from the Steffens Scleroderma Foundation, of which she is the secretary. In 2019 The National Scleroderma Foundation awarded Amy with the Volunteer of the Year award for her work in supporting young adults living with scleroderma.