Kristiana Page,  —

Kristiana Page is a passionate writer, jiujiteira, and lover of crunchy salt and vinegar chips. She lives in Geelong, Victoria, Australia. She was diagnosed with stage V lupus nephritis in 2016 at the age of 20. True to her personality, her writing is emotional, honest — sometimes blunt — and largely undeterred by what other people might think. For her, writing is equal parts therapy and the ultimate act of defiance against an invisible illness that thrived off her silence. She loves to use words to reduce stigma, shine a light on the realities of life with an invisible illness, and make the world feel a little smaller when it matters most.

Articles by Kristiana Page

Why I Mentally Struggle with Justifying My Napping

A meme floating around Facebook says something like: “I’m not a night owl or an early bird, I’m more like a permanently exhausted pigeon.” Each time I read it, I laugh out loud. Not necessarily because I find it funny, but more so that I relate to it…

The Lethargic Reality of Lupus

I’ve tried writing this column about 10 times now. I’m struggling to keep my thoughts straight, my concentration on the task at hand, and my mind from wandering off in a daydream. There was a list of eight things I needed to do today, and I’ll be lucky…

I’m Tired of Being Polite About My Chronic Illness

When you’re chronically ill, an entire list of unwritten rules apply. Don’t be too vocal about your health struggles. Feel free to make waves, but just make sure they’re little ones, ’cause you wouldn’t want to make healthy people uncomfortable! Always accept advice from someone with a smile…

The Dilemma of Whether or Not to Have Children

Having grown up in a very close-knit family with two sisters, having kids was something I never really thought about. I always knew I wanted them. For years, my mind held a vision of the future that included three small people: faces with exactly half my features, wearing…

Not Quite the Big ‘R’, But Close

Thursday of last week was a big day for me. Actually, scratch that. It was a huge day. A milestone. That Thursday, every moment of pain and struggle over the last two years finally amounted to something wonderful. In revealing the results of a recent kidney biopsy, my…

The Chronically Ill Couple

My boyfriend, Jordan, is my best friend and my rock. We’ve built our relationship’s foundation on a deep-seated love for food and the understanding that, in so very many ways, our realities with young adulthood are both uncommon and generally misunderstood. You see, Jordan doesn’t just sympathize with…