Elsinosis: Living with Cystinosis
A real life account of beautiful Elsie and how she lives with cystinosis
I’ve been meaning to write a post for ages about all the things that have been going really good for Elsie and our family lately, BUT I’m finding that it’s much easier for me to write when they’re not. I’m actually developing a reputation at work for being someone who talks about all the reasons… Continue reading Late Night Worries
Cystinosis is life changing. I've written multiple posts detailing all the ways in which cystinosis completely threw our lives for a loop and there's no denying that it leaves its mark on everyone involved. After the initial shock and general craziness of those first early years started to even out, the idea that I might… Continue reading Supportive Tattoos for Cystinosis
I can't believe that this moment is finally here but it really is! The book that Amanda Leigh (author of Scarred, My Heart is Yours) and I have been working on, Strength: Lives Touched by Cystinosis is available now. It started as an idea I put out in one of the cystinosis support groups on Facebook, wondering… Continue reading Strength: Lives Touched by Cystinosis is here!
For about the past year and a half I've been working with Amanda Leigh, author of the books Scarred, My Heart is Yours and some great poetry collections, on an anthology of stories from the cystinosis community. We've collected stories from people all over the world whose lives have been affected in one way or another… Continue reading Strength: Lives Touched by Cystinosis Cover Reveal!
Lately I've thinking about how my life has been clearly divided between life before cystinosis and life after. This feeling is never more apparent than when I'm looking back at old photographs of Elsie. Although she's had cystinosis all of her life we didn't know about it until she was 15 months old. That's 15 months we had of… Continue reading Looking Back
About a week and a half ago Elsie and I attended the Cystinosis Research Foundation's Day of Hope family conference and it was amazing! It's a yearly conference that the CRF holds in Newport Beach where families, doctors and researchers come together and get to know one another, share their wisdom, and learn about all of… Continue reading The Day of Hope Family Conference 2017
At the end of this last year in November we were fortunate enough to have an appointment with a biochemical disease doctor, Dr Galina Nesterova, who just so happens to have a lot of experience treating people with cystinosis. It was so amazing to finally be able to talk with an expert in the field… Continue reading The Year Ahead
A lot of people with cystinosis struggle with thermoregulation; the ability to regulate body temperature. The cause of this is not entirely known. As with most symptoms related to cystinosis, some people experience them and others don't. A lot of parents have noted that their child doesn't seem able to sweat, while others state that… Continue reading Tips For Keeping Your Child Cool in the Heat
As much as I try to shine a positive light on living with cystinosis and strive to treat Elsie like any other little girl, there is no denying that cystinosis can be heavy. She has a lot of responsibility pressing on her little shoulders and a lot of unpleasant experiences to endure. I've spent more than… Continue reading Beads of Courage and Bravery Buddies
The alarm goes off at 7:20am. I have 10 minutes before my three year old needs her medicine. I hate waking her up for meds, I wish she could sleep as long as she needs. Before I can dwell on this I hear my 10 month old son start to cry, time to get up.… Continue reading I Hope He Knows
Elsinosis: Living with Cystinosis 