Diaries of a Lupus Chick — Marisa Zeppieri

Ah, the changing seasons. Spring is finally here, and for many people, it’s an exciting time of rejuvenation, of shedding winter coats and embracing the sun’s warmth. But for those of us with chronic…

In the past three decades of dealing with unpredictable health issues, a pain point has reared its head over and over again for me. After countless conversations with other chronic illness warriors, I know…

If you, like me, live with chronic illness, have you ever felt like you think about your mortality more often than your healthy friends and family members do? Since before my lupus diagnosis,…

At the start of each new year, I find myself awestruck by what it could bring to my life. While social media has a funny way of making us feel an overwhelming pressure for…

Chronic illness can bring a variety of challenges and limitations into our lives that are out of our control. For me, one of those was my inability to have children of my own. That…

It’s the holiday season again, and while it’s my favorite time of year, it’s also the season that stresses me out the most. If you have lived with chronic illness for…

If you have a chronic illness, I imagine you’ve experienced a moment of guilt at some point because you weren’t able to get out of bed due to a flare or other ongoing…

Picture it: You’re deep in a lupus flare and have been in bed for weeks. In the silence, you think, “What is my purpose if I’m constantly sick?” or “How do I find…

It can be a sticky topic — working (or not working) when living with a chronic illness. We travel so many journeys when we navigate this aspect of our lives. The fact is, each…

Having lived with lupus for decades and having spoken to countless chronic illness warriors over the years, I’ve realized that while our varied symptoms hit us differently, we all face one unifying dilemma:…

Have you noticed that certain stressors, environmental factors, lack of sleep, or foods seem to cause lupus symptoms to suddenly express themselves, or current symptoms to increase in severity? If so, you may…

Few couples hearing the term “in sickness and in health” at their wedding have thoughts of chronic illness enter their mind. But the reality is, with almost half of the American population…