Shakti Shukla
March 24th, 2008
For three decades I was the skinny girl with nonstop energy. I stayed thin effortlessly, wore sample-sized clothes and balanced a full-time job with a busy social life. Everything changed in winter 2006.
I started gaining weight, losing energy and developing painful and unsightly hives all over my body. This lasted for six months. I knew it was serious when I couldn’t stay awake to see my Georgetown Hoyas through a Big East tournament game! (more…)
Posted in Rare Diseases | No Comments »
Rosalie DeFilippis
March 14th, 2008
I was diagnosed with lupus in 1997, but I knew I had the disease since I was a child. When I was 13 years old, I was a cheerleader and always suffering pain in my joints. My doctor told me I was using my muscles incorrectly and that I should remain off my feet for a while to see if my condition improved, which it did. Years later, when my knees and ankles began to swell, I was suspected of having rheumatoid arthritis, although never officially diagnosed with the condition. Finally, in 1997, when my symptoms worsened to a point where it became difficult for me to walk, I visited a rheumatologist, who diagnosed me with lupus after some simple blood tests. (more…)
Posted in Rare Diseases | No Comments »
Dorothy Nelson
January 25th, 2008
I have two grandsons that are very active in baseball and soccer. We spend a lot of our time at the park and running around with the boys keeps me very busy. I have always led a healthy life and taken care of myself, though I never realized how fragile good health can be until I went through the most challenging process of my life. In June of 2005, I became ill at work and visited my family doctor. They did a number of tests on what seemed like every part of my body (both inside and out!) but could not determine what was wrong with me. I was forced to leave my job because of the constant trips to the doctor for tests. My quest for answers led me on trips back and forth between hospitals in my hometown of Sioux Falls, South Dakota and the world-renown Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Through a grueling and painful summer, doctors tested me for blood disorders, heart problems and even cancer. No one could determine what was making me sick. (more…)
Posted in Rare Diseases | No Comments »
Dean Kuni
October 18th, 2007
April 4, 2005, is a day I will never forget. This was the day I thought life was over. This was the day I thought would be the last for me to kiss my wife and hug my two wonderful children. This was the day I learned I had a Type III dissecting aortic aneurysm and was told that although I didn’t die at that very moment, 50 percent of people having this kind of an aneurysm die within 48 hours. This I thought was my death sentence. After all, comedian and actor John Ritter had died nearly two years earlier of the same thing. However, because of miracles in healthcare, my doctors were able to stabilize my condition with medicines and other treatments. These blessings offered me a second chance to continue to live my life, and because of this amazing miracle, my priorities in life have really changed. (more…)
Posted in Heart Disease & Stroke, Rare Diseases | No Comments »
