Painting Her Pain: How One Woman Uses Art to Tell Her Vasculitis Story
Blog When Dr. Shanali Perera chose to become a rheumatologist, specializing in vasculitis, she thought she’d chosen oneof the last specialties that looks at the entire body. “I thought I’d be like Sherlock Holmes,” she said, investigating the whole body, finding clues to her patients’ puzzles. She had no idea her curiosity for investigation would […]
The Right Doctor Changes Everything
Blog For five years, doctors told Stephanie there was nothing wrong with her. Her bloodwork was inconclusive. In her hospital records, doctors dismissed her as “psychosomatic.” But her pain and fatigue kept getting worse. At one point, she was bed-bound for seven months until one doctor, assuming her symptoms were auto-immune related, finally started her […]
Championing Vasculitis Victories: Art Diaz’s Choice to Advocate
Blog Art Diaz was living a full life in Southern California and rarely got sick. He was fit; a runner. Every few years, he’d force himself to see his primary care doctor, but the doctor would give him a clean bill of health and he’d go on his way for another few years. Art thought […]
She Came. She Saw. She Loved. Tatum Hopper’s Family Celebrates Her Life
Blog Two months after Tatum Hopper passed away at age 24 from vasculitis, I greeted her parents, Jon and Angie, on Zoom. I had an inkling of their daughter’s spirit. In her obituary, Tatum is likened to “pure sunshine. The kind of sunshine you can bask in…and feel like God is smiling down on you. […]
“Fatherhood is My Driving Force.” Greg Patterson’s Vasculitis Story
Blog Greg Patterson, who describes himself as a “weekend warrior long-distance runner,” was in the middle of the Peachtree 10K Road Race in Atlanta, Georgia, last July when he and his two daughters (who were running with him) stopped momentarily to walk. They had been running the race together for about 10 years and knew […]
Loss & Love: Navigating Motherhood with Vasculitis
Blog Annaruth Diller has three children. Fourteen-year-old twin boys, Alan and Blake, and a thirteen-year-old daughter, Cianah. She describes Alan as “creative, kind, and artistic.” Blake is “engineering-minded” (he built his own electric bike) and is “compassionate.” And Cianah? She’s “focused and driven,” dances competitively, and like the rest of Annaruth’s children, she’s creative. When […]
GPA Patient’s Advice for Others Facing a Similar Diagnosis: Remain Positive—You Can Beat This
Blog In late summer of 1992, Dan Prozialeck began experiencing chronic congestion, coughing and sinus infections, throat pain, and excruciating joint pain. He had been going to a local urgent care facility for months for the sinus infections and each time he saw the doctor, he was put on a stronger antibiotic and increasing amounts […]
Steroids and Snow Peas: A Tale of Victory Over Vasculitis
Blog “How in God’s Green Earth can YOU be so chipper?” queried a fellow shopper after I assaulted her cerebellum with my litany of GPA/Autoimmune/ Primary Immune Deficiency/Diabetic/Tracheal Stenotic/Neurotic High Dose Steroid Syndrome/Tracheostomy Reliant/Rituxan Receiving/Anemic diagnosis. I’m the President of the “But You Don’t LOOK Sick!” Club, and am in training for World’s Hot Mess […]
Mom Climbs Highest Mountain in Africa in Memory of Her Extraordinary Daughter
Blog Update: Jo has made it to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro! The climb was by far the hardest thing she’s ever had to face other than losing her daughter, Amy, to vasculitis. “They call it ‘The Roof of Africa’ but I call it almost to heaven! It’s the closest I’ll be to Amy until […]
Announcing Our 2022 VF Patient Heroes
Blog Announcing the 2022 Patient Heroes Ordinary people can become extraordinary in their journey through life — and this has never been truer than it is today. Look around and you’ll see that there are everyday heroes living among us. That’s why this Vasculitis Awareness Month, the VF will be highlighting a few of the […]