Celebrate With Me - a column by Candace Semien

Why learning to say no is part of self-advocacy in healthcare

When was the first time you heard the words “advocate” and “advocacy”? According to Dictionary.com, to advocate means “to speak or write in favor of; support or urge by argument; recommend publicly.” And the Cambridge Dictionary says advocacy is the “public support for an idea, plan, or way…

Another take at living with lupus and hearing ‘you don’t look sick’

We’ve all heard it. “But you don’t look sick.” There’s also “You still look good,” “That weight looks good on you (or off you),” and “I couldn’t tell you were that sick.” For quite some time, conversations among people living with lupus, which I have, or other chronic illnesses…

When lupus prevents traveling, I have a ‘Bismott Moment’

Since 1986, Delta airlines has consistently served Biscoff cookies during flights. According to Simple Flying, the airline serves about 85 million cookies a year. If you’ve taken to the skies in the last decade, you’ve probably had a pack or two (or four) of these oblong, cinnamon-ginger shortbread…

In a crisis, I follow the advice from my Lupus Training 101

“You know, lupus thrives in extremes,” a rheumatologist told me. His tone was bland and matter-of-fact. “No, I don’t know much about lupus besides its misery,” I responded. “For one thing, your body will see elation and stress with the same intensity, and that may trigger flares.

Finding meaning in life with lupus through seeds and beams of light

Our paths to a lupus diagnosis can vary extensively. The symptoms that trigger a crisis may differ, as do the number of hospital stays and near-death experiences we endure before discovering that lupus is the cause. I first realized this truth while sitting in the most god-awful…