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!

Signing off, with tears in my eyes and joy in my heart

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…

How a lupus diagnosis taught me to embrace being weird

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…

How I learned to accept life with lupus fatigue

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…