Betsy Craig: A Roaring Spirit
"If I can help advance the word 'scleroderma,' I will do it in any way possible."

Rachelle's Story
"I love you mom"

SURVIVIOR
From one voice of survival to another...

My name is Lenora
Hello my name is Lenora Lawhorn. Back in 2000 I was diagnosed with this devastating disease. At this time I knew nothing about it.

Retired teacher not stopping after double transplant
Shalonda Todd was diagnosed with scleroderma in 2005. The disease had attacked her internal organs and lung functions.

Struggling forward
I was diagnosed with Scleroderma last year. It took 12 years for them to find it. I was 16 when they found the reynauds. I am sore, weak and tired all the time.

My Mom Living with Scleroderma
My Mom Byrda Darmis suffers from Scleroderma and I am her caregiver. Together we have a Scleroderma & Autoimmune Related Diseases Support Group in Michigan, 12 & Hoover, St John/Med-education center.

The Journey
I was diagnosed with systemic scleroderma about 4 years ago. The challenges are many and support is not to be found. There are no support groups in my area.

My Life with Scleroderma
By Teresa Nadeau

Always Hopeful
Q&A with Abbey Quinn

My life with Scleroderma
I have had this disabilitating illness since I was 13 but will not let it define me!

Scleroderma
Hi to everyone I was diagnosed with Scleroderma 31 years ago I was 15 years old.

My Mom
My name is Adrina and my mom Lisa has this sickness she's very sick and it breaks my heart that I can't help

I have Scleroderma
The hives and itching are the worst. I take meds every day but I continue to itch.

Mom
Scleroderma has affected my life through my mom. She lived with the disease for 20 years and smiled through almost all of it!

My experience
I was diagnosed at 21 years old after the birth of my first child. I started getting very cold in my hands and started with digital finger ulcers. It was painful, but far more painful when I was diagnosed with progressive diffuse sclerosis.

Liz's Story: My Second Chance
The first indicator of scleroderma for me was Raynaud's when I was 30 years old and pregnant with my second child in 1996. At that time, I was diagnosed with mixed connective tissue disease, since there were no other symptoms other than an elevated ANA level...

Amy's Story
December 1997 was the month and the year that changed my life forever. I was thirty-seven years old and I thought I was as healthy as could be. The first hint that something was wrong was when my mother-in-law Erika stared at my legs and asked me why my legs were so shiny and swollen...

Writing Through Scleroderma
Lori Carey lives in Middletown, NY, and is the mother of two children. She began to notice symptoms in 2005 and was diagnosed with scleroderma in 2008. Lori recently accepted the role of co-support group leader in our Orange County support group. She was kind enough to answer a few of our questions, which we've published here along with two of her journal entries and one of her poems.

Holly's Story
It took Tri-State member Holly Counihan over two years to receive a scleroderma diagnosis. Like so many others, Holly spent those years in excruciating pain and confusion. In addition to living with scleroderma, Holly is also an avid traveler and adventurer. Read our interview with Holly in the current issue of Scleroderma Exchange. Below you'll find a short memoir Holly wrote about her journey towards finding a diagnosis.

Heidy's Story
Heidy Dornau tells her story to Scleroderma Exchange. In addition to being a scleroderma survivor, Heidy began leading a Tri-State Chapter support group in the Nassau-Queens area in May of 2012.

Faces of Scleroderma: Erica and Emily
As identical twins, Emily and Erica grew up doing everything together. But the bond between these sisters became even stronger three years ago when both were diagnosed with the same form of scleroderma within a week of each other.

Faces of Scleroderma: Dr. Giuseppina Alessandra Farina
Giuseppina Alessandra Farina always knew she wanted to be a physician because of her love of visiting with her father's patients growing up. What she didn't foresee were the turning points that changed her path from clinical practice to bench research.

Faces of Scleroderma: Cynthia Maxwell
Cynthia Maxwell wears her scleroderma like a badge of honor.