When I was diagnosed with scleroderma 21 years ago, it was painful to learn that I was no longer an average 19-year-old who wanted to be a nurse. I was now a patient with a disease that most people hadn’t heard of. As time passed and I slowly grew into my new identity, pain snuck up on me in other ways. That four-letter word has taken on new meanings for me over the years. Continue reading here.