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For those of us with a chronic illness, I think it is safe to say that, initially, we had no idea how a diagnosis would impact our lives. At the age of 23, I was told lupus was the cause of my…

Compassion, empathy, and sympathy: These are all things we wish the world had more of. Understanding is also something we seem to ask for, but I humbly submit that of all the things on the list, this is the most difficult to give and to get. To truly…

I’m a very “black-and-white” kind of person, in that for the most part, I’m logical, rational, and straightforward. In my head, there are always set outcomes, and if you don’t arrive at one it can be only because you’ve landed on another instead. In many instances, this…

Six years ago, I was handed an answer of lupus along with a bag of questions that came with it. Life already was hard before my diagnosis, as a working single mother of two boys. Knowing I had lupus didn’t make it any easier. I rocked my…

Most people take for granted getting ready for each day. It takes a lot of energy to get up in the morning, shower, get dressed, do your hair, and put on makeup. Recently I have been having issues with my arms. I must assist one hand in…

We’re so quick to applaud the positive. Happiness is a state we don’t just strive for ourselves but also celebrate and wish for others. But there’s a problem with placing such heavy emphasis and praise on our positive emotions, because from a young age it teaches us to…

When you get the news that your health will forever be in the toilet, I can assure you that you have to deal with more than just the diagnosis. You find yourself working emotionally, spiritually and physically within new confines. At any given time in our lives,…

In the darkness lies a wolf, the wolf that claims me as his own. I could call him “my wolf,” but that implies  his presence is wanted, when it’s anything but. He’s present only in darkness: The loneliness of 3 a.m. when insomnia comes out to play;…

You knew something wasn’t right, but it seems to have taken doctors forever to render a diagnosis. When they did, it was not what any of us wanted to hear. You have an incurable disease. It is going to occasionally grab you by the ankle, flip you…

As humans we long to have someone relate to what we’re going through, to be accepted and understood. For a very long time I didn’t have to work very hard to achieve this feeling. Nowadays, it’s something I want desperately, but I know that to have it…