Wednesday Wisdom
Welcome to June and Scleroderma Awareness Month! For me, this month is marked by our community members and supporters wearing the color teal to show their support and flooding their social media feeds with images and content geared at educating people on what Scleroderma is and the way it's affected them and their families.
Beyond all the teal and memes though, Scleroderma Awareness Month holds a deeper mission. In essence, it’s a campaign to raise disease recognition, and a crucial opportunity to advocate for critical federal research funding. Because the lessor known the disease the harder it is to get our voices heard and raise funds for disease management needs.
I was honored to kick off the month by receiving my first proclamation of the 2026 season from Mayor Justin Nickels
of Manitowoc, WI. A proclamation is a document from a government agency that acknowledges that Scleroderma is a thing!! For the past 3 years that I’ve been advocating, Mayor Nickels has been the first in line to support our cause through a formal proclamation declaring June as Scleroderma Awareness Month in the city of Manitowoc.
What stands out to me in this picture though is how much I’ve have changed since June of 2024, when I was still feeling the brutal, ravaging effects of disease progression. I'm not where I’d like to be, but I'm definitely standing straighter and stronger.
This revelation reminds me that resiliency is something that can be tapped in ALL of us. It’s also a testament that one voice can create huge impact. And it’s a reminder to keep HOPE alive.
Most importantly, it’s a reminder that even in the dark times, light can still break through.
#WednesdayWisdom
#survivingscleroderma
#sclerodermawarrior
#BeaconOfHope
