I grew up in inner city Chicago, I am a Desert Storm veteran, I reared two amazing kids all alone, and I navigated the competitive waters of real estate for almost 20 years. Now, leaving my home is a challenge. Years ago, I saw a movie about an …

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 dealing with some type of chronic illness, this should be something all couples consider. Relationships, while…

Recently, I had a very ugly flare that caused me a lot of pain. Every time I have a flare, it really sets me back — not just physically, but mentally as well. I have an increasingly harder time recovering after each flare. For so many of us,…

Five years ago, when I realized my mother would pass because of lung cancer spreading throughout her body, one of the first things I did was look for a therapist. My mother was the first person truly close to me to pass away, and I knew it would…

Like many lupus patients, my life didn’t exactly go as planned. While my friends were all settling into their lives,  mine was beginning to unravel. I had just been declared in remission from a rare blood disorder known as  thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP). I was looking forward to getting…

When I was a teenager, everything felt as if it was a crisis. A bad hair day, a pimple on picture day, a breakup with the kid whose name you can’t even remember now, had you strewn across your bed with mascara streaks down your face…