Peaceful Chaos — Allison Ross

One evening last week, I reluctantly agreed to meet a friend at a dance studio. I had no intention of joining in. Me — a salsa dancer? Don’t be ridiculous! I’m a former soccer player with minimal dancing experience who often trips down the stairs. Confident that I could enter…

Exercise is an interesting topic in the world of autoimmune diseases. What type should we do? How much of it do we need? Are there specific concerns regarding cardio or other strenuous activities? After several years of living with vasculitis, I’ve found the answers aren’t all that complicated. If…

May is a gorgeous time of the year in the Midwest. Finally, the cold weather is past and we can enjoy the beauty of spring. Everyone’s spirits are high as we near the end of the school year, making plans for summer travel and other warm-weather entertainment. The celebratory feeling…

It’s common this time of year for us to get busy. Summer plans are brewing, students are graduating, and people are heading outdoors to enjoy the beautiful weather. Work obligations build up. The weeks slip by. There’s so many things on the calendar and so much distraction. Regardless of organizational…

Love is such a blurry concept. It can hurt or it can heal. It can be rewarding and fulfilling and beautiful — if we know what it is. And with an autoimmune disease, love takes on an entirely different meaning. The idea of “being in love,” as most sensible…

Many people think music is a luxury. Others call it a necessity. But everyone agrees that music is enjoyable and rounds out a full life with everything the earthly and spiritual worlds have to offer. As a vasculitis patient, I’d like to add one more level of consideration. Music to…

“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” — Norman Vincent Peale In a vasculitis lifestyle, shooting for the moon could mean hoping for a cure. We know it’s unrealistic to expect one so soon — after all, the group of disorders has only been…

March, which is Autoimmune Awareness Month, involves sliding into spring, a time of year that coincidentally reflects an autoimmune condition: shifting, transitional, and unpredictable. An autoimmune disease occurs when the body’s immune system attacks itself. The very organs that are supposed to keep the body safe become so overactive…

Imagine a college student who rarely goes to parties, never drinks to excess, and avoids virtually all risky behavior. Thanks to my health condition, that student was me. True, some young adults are laser-focused on their degree and future career and have an incredible amount of self-discipline. But for the…

There’s more to a chronic disease lifestyle than seeing a doctor and taking meds. I’m reminded of this on a daily basis, with dozens of small actions that have become so routine I don’t even think about them as having to do with vasculitis anymore. At first, adjusting to…

Among many health-support communities, there’s an ongoing discussion regarding pharmaceuticals versus natural healing. Once we patients have a diagnosis, the next step is to determine a treatment plan. But how do we know what’s the best route to keep our immune systems clean and functioning well, with the lowest…

There’s an intriguing dichotomy in the vasculitis community, and I believe it’s one to be thankful for. My journey with granulomatosis with polyangiitis began in relative isolation. I was unfamiliar with the medical terms and treatments, and overwhelmed by the new normal that stood in front of me like…