My name is Sarah and since 2015 I’ve been battling various autoimmune diseases and learning how to cope with flare ups, anxiety, and the ebbs and flows of living with chronic illnesses. There are so many individuals handling chronic illness day-to-day. I wanted to share some of my experiences in hopes that I can reach people who are dealing with similar issues or introduce non-disabled individuals to the world of chronic illness. It takes a toll on the individual, family, and friends. It can feel isolating. It can feel like you have lost control of your body or that your body is rebelling. I hope that my writing can provide some insight and humor.

In the fall of 2019 I was diagnosed with bronchiolitis obliterans, a rare chronic lung disease that falls under the category of interstitial lung disease. Interstitial lung diseases cause scarring and stiffening of the lungs making it difficult to breathe and get oxygen to the bloodstream. These diseases are irreversible and get worse over time. This landed me in an entirely new world that I did not understand. Prior to 2019, I was diagnosed with erosive oral lichen planus (which effects my mouth) and lichen planus (which effects my skin). Those two autoimmune diseases weren’t pleasant, but truly nothing could prepare me for this new chapter in my life where I just straight up cannot catch my breath.

In 2022, I received my first double lung transplant. It was an incredible experience to be able to breathe again. Then, in 2024, my appendix ruptured. My body did what it is supposed to do and created new antibodies. However, those antibodies were not compatible with my new lungs so I went through rejection and was lucky to receive another double lung transplant in November of 2024.

Throughout the journey of being diagnosed with various autoimmune disease to now being on the wait list for a double lung transplant, I have sought out information on how other people deal with multiple chronic diseases. Not only to commiserate on the shit parts of dealing with complicated and chronic diseases but also to gain some insight into how to make life better, find some sort of silver lining. And to be honest, it has been tough to find any material that I can really relate to.

After searching for posts, articles, blogs that would make me feel less alone, I decided to start writing down my experiences: the good, the bad, the ugly, the beautiful, the depressing, the cringy, the hilarious – you name it – to share in hopes that it may help others pained by chronic illness find reprieve and for those who are not inflicted by chronic illness understand what a day-in-the-life may be like for those who are.

No two days are alike with chronic illness. Healing is not linear or easy. But sometimes, healing can be funny.

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