Throughout September, Rheumatic Disease Awareness Month, we’re sharing stories of people living with scleroderma. Having an active scleroderma community is a powerful resource. Dinah knows that better than anyone else.
When Dinah was first diagnosed with scleroderma in 1996, she attended a support group. But, the progression of the disease she saw in the other patients scared her.
After over 20 years of facing her condition without others like her, she decided to attend a patient education conference. Connecting with other scleroderma patients gave Dinah “a sense of renewed hope and comfort…We were together, sharing similar challenges and similar victories.”
Today, Dinah encourages others to get involved with the scleroderma community. “I wish I didn’t run away from that first support group…My condition may not have changed, but I would’ve had another scleroderma shoulder to lean on.”
Dinah won’t give up and neither will we. SRF will continue to fund research until scleroderma is cured.
