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Nobody asks to be sick, and no one asks for constant pain. Living with chronic pain is not a life anyone would set out to have for themselves. As we go through our lives, we ask for more money, a better job, good things for our families,…

Good health too often is thought of solely in the physical form. In this society, we put so much emphasis on the state of our bodies, yet neglect to pay attention to the state of our minds. Truthfully, I never used to give much thought to the…

Two years ago the Paleo Diet was the diet everyone was talking about. I remember going to a New Years Eve party and they served paleo chili with cauliflower. It may sound very Californian, but it was honestly the best chili I ever had. I remember…

I’ve noticed that lupus makes me super-sensitive to the things people say when I express how I feel. I sometimes feel caught in the middle, in the matrix. There are days when no matter what you say, no matter how hard you smile, people know something is wrong. You’re…

When I was diagnosed with lupus, it was a bit like watching a game of Cluedo. With every new answer, I watched as the doctors kept straight faces, revealing nothing as I hoped wholeheartedly that the notes they were taking meant they were closing in on the…

I recently shared with someone that Kellie had “died” and no one had bothered to bury her. Of course, I didn’t really mean that; I was just having a serious pity party. I was in some major pain and needed someone to love me through my negativity. I…

There’s a certain responsibility that goes along with being the oldest sister. Simply due to birth order, I was automatically a role model for the younger two. (Editor’s note: The photo above shows Kristiana, center, with her sisters, Niki, left, and Nesha.) But the thing about always being looked…

The typical Girlfriend Experience should be one filled with flowers and dates. Meeting loved ones. Family and friends for the holidays. But, when dating a woman with lupus, the Girlfriend Experience is dramatically different. Being a single mom meant I wasn’t the easiest person to date before my symptoms…

I’m a bit of a weirdo. There, I said it. I admit it. As an affirmation junkie, I am all about positive self-talk. I am always looking toward the positive side of life. There is a silver lining even in my diagnosis of lupus. Because of my outlook,…

There’s a smile that rarely leaves my face and a glimmer that resides in my eyes. There’s a happiness that comes from my character, and a certain optimism that frequents my every day. But behind it all is a side of me few people see. Behind my…