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My diagnosis of GPA vasculitis finally arrived in 2004. After eight years of struggling to control this monster, coming close to seeing the end a few times too many, a drug called Rituximab changed my life.

I’m now 31 years old and thankfully have lived to see many positive advances in understanding and treating vasculitis.

I owe my life to the excellent team of doctors and nurses who have cared for me since my diagnosis. I also owe a lot to friends and family who have supported me along the way.

This illness changed me. I’ve made new friends and lost some along the way.

I’ve cried, I’ve laughed, I’ve wished for death as an escape from extreme pain.

I’ve learned more about my mental and physical self than I ever dreamt.

Now I live a “normal” life. I struggle with pain, but with a crazy mixture of stubbornness and extreme luck, I can do unimaginable things that often baffle my doctors.

My recovery from GPA vasculitis is the part I wish to share–the wins and not the losses.

I hope you’ll be patient with me as I expose a piece of my life that has molded me into the human being I am today. My writing isn’t perfect, my life is a medical mess, but this is me. This is my beautiful fight with vasculitis.

With love

Anne