All my life growing up, one of the worst parts of living with CLOVES that always gave me anxiety was when strangers would ask me what happened to my foot. The stares, points, and questions about my syndrome really brought me down, and having to awkwardly respond to people when they asked that question was … Continue reading A change in perspective
Tag: rare disease
CLOVES Conference recap
A brief recap of the latest CLOVES Family Conference
Call to action
Lately, I’ve been experiencing a bit of a writing block. With starting my first full-time job and studying for my license exam, I haven’t had a lot of free time to just sit down and write. It can become hard to pursue your hobbies throughout a busy life. The reason this blog is so important … Continue reading Call to action
Top 5 lessons I’ve learned living with my natural imperfections
We all know living with an anomaly can suck, no matter what it is. Throughout my life experiences so far, I’ve learned several lessons that over time have helped me rebuild the parts of my character that so often got torn down from the tough times. Though this may not apply to all since everyone … Continue reading Top 5 lessons I’ve learned living with my natural imperfections
Parenting a child with CLOVES • by Julie, a CLOVES mother
My daughter asked me to write about what it’s like to parent a child with CLOVES Syndrome. When I started to think about what to write, I realized how hard it is to put into words as it is such a unique experience given the rarity of CLOVES Syndrome. Our journey began when Lindsay was … Continue reading Parenting a child with CLOVES • by Julie, a CLOVES mother
Rare isn’t so rare
30 million people are living with rare diseases in the United States today. That’s 1 in 10 Americans. Worldwide, about 350 million people suffer from rare diseases. If all of the people diagnosed with rare diseases lived in one country, it would be the world’s 3rd most populated country. How wild is that? For how … Continue reading Rare isn’t so rare
Making the decision to start Sirolimus
If you or a family member has CLOVES, then you know that there aren’t many options available to help treat it. Invasive methods are out there, like de-bulking surgery or sclerotherapy, but many people may not want to jump right into difficult medical procedures like those. Instead, there is another relatively new alternative available. A … Continue reading Making the decision to start Sirolimus
5 things to remember when they stare
If you have a rare disease with any kind of physical abnormality, then you most likely get a few stares when you’re out in public, maybe even on a daily basis (I sure do). And I’m going to be honest—it hurts. No matter how old you get or how confident you get, staring is one … Continue reading 5 things to remember when they stare
Why awareness is so important
A fear of the unknown is common among many, especially those living with any kind of disease. Not knowing what lies in your future medically, socially, emotionally, and/or mentally can be incredibly unsettling. Back before CLOVES was even discovered, most people with this syndrome were misdiagnosed as children, if doctors could pinpoint a diagnosis at … Continue reading Why awareness is so important
Older and stronger
This world tends to throw us curveballs left and right, and you never know when they’re coming for you. When they reach you, often they’re difficult to work through. And sometimes, the outlook gets bleak. You can fight something and do everything you can to get through certain hardships in life, but sometimes it seems … Continue reading Older and stronger
