“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!
For me, writing has always been equal parts advocacy and therapy. I wanted to help others but I also needed a way to deal with the vortex of emotions swirling inside of me. Early on, I wrote regularly about all the struggle, pain, and heartache associated with…
My sleeping pattern is off at the moment, and I’m exhausted. As someone who already struggles to feel rested due to lupus fatigue, it feels a bit like the sky is falling. In the long run, I’ll probably look back at today and realize it wasn’t that bad.
It’s Sunday. Today consisted of getting up just before midday, eating leftover soup, watching “The Big Bang Theory,” and baking an apple cake and banana bread. After I wandered upstairs midafternoon, my partner, Felix, asked what I wanted to do. My answer wasn’t an indicator of what I wanted to…
Wonderfully weird: That’s how I’d proudly describe myself. I’ve always been weird. And much to the dismay of a younger Kristiana, I’ve accepted that I’ll always be weird. By nature, I’m a clumsy and kooky dork. But I’ve reached a point where I’m just too old to care that…
In the seven years since I was diagnosed with lupus, the first year was undoubtedly the hardest. The first six months were a cacophony of dietary restrictions, lifestyle changes, and medication. I left the hospital after my weeklong stint with a fistful of prescriptions, a head…
I remember the first day I was fully aware of my now chronic fatigue. But it would take a week or so after that for me to give it an official name. It’d been creeping up slowly. For two weeks, I’d been growing increasingly tired, until finally, I felt…
Something gets to me when I see a chronic illness depicted on screen. In particular, a character getting a lupus diagnosis tugs at a special place in my heart. I’ve watched characters get diagnosed with lupus on the sitcom “Scrubs,” for instance. And then there was an episode…
When I hear the term “self-care,” I envision sitting in a bubble bath with candles all around me, my hair tied up in a lopsided, messy bun, while lo-fi beats play in the background. It’s a glorious image, but entirely fictional. Firstly, because I hate baths. There’s something about sitting…
Sometimes I catch my partner, Felix, looking at me. He still looks at me the same way he did on our first date. His eyes shine as he dreamily gazes at me in a daze. When I catch him doing this, I just have to know what’s running through…
In late 2016, I was lost, lonely, and desperate for life to be different. In the wake of a lupus diagnosis, I’d never felt more alone or misunderstood. The life I’d long imagined had disintegrated into thin air the moment I was introduced to the word “lupus.”…
“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!