Columns

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…

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…

Best Face Forward: Taking Care of Your Skin

My face starts to itch. I’m noticing my skin is more photosensitive than ever before, and it’s annoying. I feel the little red bumps beneath my Urban Decay makeup, and as “beat” (meaning done-up) as my face is, I don’t feel like I’m in a Beyoncé video. Well,…

Lupus and Employment: To Work or Not to Work?

One topic I hear about often when it comes to lupus and chronic illness is the subject of employment. In the past 17 years, I’ve heard some incredible stories of compassionate employers from people living with lupus. Unfortunately, I have also heard stories that have made me cringe.

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,…

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…