I have always thought of myself as someone who thrives on being independent. But living with scleroderma does not afford me that luxury.
Scleroderma is a major component of my life. Plainly speaking, it’s not something I can stash away or bring out when I want to, like a party trick. I wake up and go to bed living and breathing in a body that is slowly dying. Scleroderma comes with baggage. I am living with a disease that affects multiple organs of my body. My scleroderma symptoms can flare up at any moment, seemingly without cause.