For my English class this semester, we were asked to write a "love letter." Not to a person, but to something. The clear topic would have been One Direction, but instead I chose a topic a little closer to me. Scleroderma. I thought I would share it here.

Dear Scleroderma,

            I have had a hard time deciding how to address this. For many, it may seem silly for me to not hate you. I guess it isn’t exactly true that I haven’t had those moments when I would like to be done with you, but in reality, you have done so much for me that I can’t help but love you.

            Four years ago is when you started to make your appearance, though at the time I didn’t realize it was you. All I felt was pain and discomfort, fear and anxiety. It wasn’t until I learned your name, Scleroderma, that I felt any comfort at all. Finally being able to put a name to what I was going through helped tremendously.

            I spent a lot of time researching you, trying to figure you out. Words I had never heard before kept showing up, like systemic, sclerosis, Raynaud’s, CREST, and auto-immune disease, to name a few. It almost seemed like anytime I discovered something new about you, it brought up more questions. At the same time, though, I was able to learn how to best manage you.

            It took a while for me to warm up to you. You completely changed my life. You took things from me that I had worked hard for. It was not easy having you part of my life. You frustrated me, and you hurt me, however, the more you hurt me, the more I learned to love you.

            I think I learned more from you in 4 years than I have learned from the other 26 years. You gave me a strength I never knew I had. You taught me things about myself that I never even imagined. Because of you, I have grown tremendously. You have helped shape me into the person that I am today, and I will be forever grateful. Thank you for choosing me. I love you and look forward to the rest of our lives together.

Love,

Bre