Columns

I follow an artist called Hallie Bateman on Instagram. Apart from being an incredible illustrator and writer, she’s also an avid supporter of social justice issues and an advocate for people who have the impulse control disorder trichotillomania. Last week, I came across one of her Instagram…

When you are battling an illness without a “look,” it’s pretty difficult to get people to understand that despite not looking sick, you really are. I share awareness. People tell me I am strong. However, even the strong ones need a good support system. Thankfully, I have…

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…

“Shots! Shots! Shots! Shots!” The chant is repeated by my squad of friends at the bar. It’s my friend’s birthday and celebrations go hand in hand with alcohol. For many, it’s not a good birthday if you can walk a straight line at the end of the night.

Going to a hated job is something so many people complain about. They don’t like their co-workers, and if you could give them a two-hour lunch and a nap in the middle of the day, they’d be in line to sign up. Once upon a time, I would…

Earlier this year, I shared in a column that I am chasing remission, and that lupus has caused a shift in my spiritual beliefs. Today I find myself revisiting both of these subjects. Have you ever had an enemy who said you couldn’t do something, and it made…

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…

If you’ve ever partied like a rockstar, then you’ll know that while the night feels like it’s worth it, the next morning leaves you vowing never to party like that again. The night of a party is how it feels to have a high-energy, low-pain day with lupus.

In 2004, in the dead of a Victorian winter, my dad taught me how to surf. Calling it cold would be a gross understatement — it was absolutely freezing and bitter. Though I had no way of knowing it at the time, in retrospect, that year was life-changing…

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…