Columns

Dealing with the Snowball Effects of the Common Cold

In a previous column, I discussed how there are two polar personalities within my body. There’s the energetic, “anything is possible, never back down, and go-go-go” Kristi. Then there’s the lethargic, down-in-the-dumps version who can’t find the motivation to make herself lunch. I’m usually one or the…

I Was Blindsided by Lupus, but I Am Adjusting

I’ll always remember the day I found out I have lupus. It sticks with me like the memory of where I was the day Elvis died. It is a dividing line between the former “normal” days and my “new normal.” Everyone has different symptoms that lead them to make that…

Loved Ones Have Shared Their Fears of My Death with Me

I find it funny the things that people choose to say and the words they withhold from you. Those of us living with a chronic illness such as lupus often hear, “You don’t look sick.” What we wish they meant was, “You look really good in spite…

Sometimes, I Just Want to Throw the Fight

I’ve seen many movies in which the characters are paid or forced to lose. A conflict of conscience always arises, even when their actions are to save a loved one or the money is to salvage the family home, farm, or whatever. A true fighter doesn’t really know…

What Lupus Life Is to Me

Mid-conversation, I’m often asked questions that lead to me revealing information the other person isn’t ready to hear about. It involves an unsettling, controversial word. Actually, it’s not just a simple word, but a name: lupus. And then comes an all-important question I hear time and time again. What…

47 Minutes of Sanity

I grew up in inner city Chicago, I am a Desert Storm veteran, I reared two amazing kids all alone, and I navigated the competitive waters of real estate for almost 20 years. Now, leaving my home is a challenge. Years ago, I saw a movie about an …

Loving Someone Who Is Forever Evolving

I’m a confessed hopeless romantic. Blame my parents! With 27 years of marriage under their belts and a grand total of 37 years together, I’ve spent my entire life watching a love story unfold. But just like any long-term relationship, their real-life fairy tale hasn’t always been smooth…

Nobody Owes Me a Good Life

When lupus decided to change my life, I was loving the one I was living. I think about people who hate their jobs, are barely getting by, and have no support from family and friends. I was not that person. I chose my career, and in the…