My story begins in February 2023 when I was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune condition, Vasculitis GPA. I was 25 years old and completely healthy and this diagnosis flipped my world upside down. The doctors describe my diagnosis as a lightning strike because no one knows how it happened. I felt alone, overwhelmed and unsure where to start. Not only was I sick, I was also in the hospital for 39 days due to complications from drug reactions, mainly steroids. My kidneys were completely failing and they told me I would be on dialysis my whole life if they didn’t turn around. I know what its like to wake up in a hospital room every day hoping and praying for a miracle.

I am happy to say that although i’ve had more complications, more on that in the blog, I am a miracle case because I am here to tell my story. I don’t have it all figured out and I don’t pretend to know what my future holds but I decided I don’t want to wait until I have it all figured out to share my journey.

My mom is my hero and she, along with my other heroes, walked with me never leaving my side. A lot of this blog will be inspired by her words spoken to me my whole life and especially in my total 49 days in the hospital so I want to give credit where credit is due. She taught me to look for lightning bugs in the darkness and that’s what I am here to do - find the lightning bugs in Life After Diagnosis and share them with you.

My mom’s signature text message always ends with an old fashioned smiley face, so now you know the story behind LAD:).

My goal in starting this blog is to share some of the amazing insights and stories shared with me because I know I cannot do this alone and it truly does take a village. I hope these stories inspire you and help you feel empowered that you can do this and you are equipped with everything you need to fight this battle.

You are not alone and your voice matters here.

Xoxo,

Hannah Rebekah