The Girl Who Cried Wolf - A Column by Kristi Page

happiness, love, Extraordinary doctors

“Kristi” is a surfer, barista, and university student studying for arts and science degrees in philosophy and mathematical modeling. Living on the picturesque Bellarine Peninsula on the southeast coast of Australia, she’s deeply passionate about salt water and amazing coffee — even though she’s not allowed to drink it. Above all else, she loves traveling the world! Diagnosed with stage IV lupus nephritis at 20, she’s determined to not be defined by her autoimmune condition. Using writing as a medium for self-expression, she hopes to share her life and journey to both raise awareness and support others in similar situations. A big believer in the concept of dialectics, she loves sharing and hearing unorthodox, sometimes controversial, views. She’s quirky by choice, inquisitive by nature, and smiling always!

Sometimes Life is About the Destination, Not the Journey

I’ve been blessed with many supportive souls since my lupus diagnosis, a few of whom also live with chronic illness. One of them, along with her partner, has taught me a most valuable lesson, by being my constant reminder that sometimes it’s not about leaps and bounds, but…

Dear Vegans, Please Don’t Preach to Me

Veganism is a popular topic of late and, while I have opinions, its nutritional merits are not what I want to write about. Rather, as someone who lives on a medical – read: necessary and involuntary – elimination diet, I wish to kindly ask the vegan community not…

Feeling ‘Super-Lupus’ Powerful at the Gym

Being diagnosed, I felt like the weight of the world got lifted off me. But slowly, as I began to understand more and more, I started to feel something else. I felt heavy and hopeless with my new lack of possibilities in life. Over the last month or…

Determined to Reclaim What Lupus Has Taken

There are plenty of things I dislike about lupus, and a few I’d go as far to say I hate. But the thing I hate most? It is how lupus is the only thing in my whole life that has made me feel truly uncomfortable in my own…

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly Days with Lupus

I recall a time where there were only two types of days: Good ones and bad ones. Of late, there are all kinds of days broken down into little categories. While overall a day can be considered “good,” that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s been like that on every…

Lupus Freed Me to Become Fearless

It doesn’t matter when or where I tell someone I have lupus, the reaction is always the same. The person’s face will drop as they realize I’ve just shared with them that I have a illness I’ll live with forever. Cue the onset of sympathetic and pitied glances.