Author Archives: Kellie McRae

Navigating Those Challenging Social Situations

I am visiting the United States after being away for two years. Quite a few people have reached out, wanting to spend some time with me. The first two weeks here in the States, I had an ugly flare that left me in pain and in bed. I…

Dear Healthcare Providers

Healthcare reform is a hot topic. People act like it’s a new subject, yet it has always been a controversial one. It seems that the attitude is if you don’t have the proper insurance, if you question the doctor, or if you insist that something is wrong…

Disability Pay? What Disability Pay?

Recently I was discussing earnings with another warrior. I love learning new things, and they often relate to creating income online. This has caused a lot of people to come to me with business ideas they want to take online, or people who want to know how to…

Pushing Through the Pain

Recently, I had a very ugly flare that caused me a lot of pain. Every time I have a flare, it really sets me back — not just physically, but mentally as well. I have an increasingly harder time recovering after each flare. For so many of us,…

The 10-year Plan

Barely a week after arriving in Thailand, I was hospitalized. Doctors told me that my platelet count was so low that they were afraid my brain would spontaneously start bleeding, among other things. I am so foolishly optimistic that I figured it would right itself and I would…

Speaking My Mind: The Magic of Cussing

Ever hear people say a lady would never cuss? The reply is usually something like, “Whoever accused me of being a lady?” I read about a study (it was on the internet, and we all know everything on the internet is true, right?) that said people who…

Lupus Won’t Stop a Category 5 Kellie

There are so many days that I feel guilty for doing things that others cannot. I see so much suffering from this disease, the degree varying from person to person. Some go into remission and appear to have “normal” lives while others have an extremely tough battle. I…

Lupus and a Long-distance Move

If you have been keeping up with my column, you know that I live in Thailand. I am an American but moved here because of the country’s great lupus track record, plus affordable and quality healthcare. I also now have a super affordable lifestyle. My one-bedroom apartment in a…

Mindful of My Mortality

When the doctor told me back in 2016 that I would be battling lupus, the first question I asked him was if I was going to die. In the ’80s, I had a cousin die of lupus. They had no clue what she had until they autopsied her…