When I was feeling strong, I could actually raise my arms above my shoulders, or lift my head off a pillow—Definitely not the standard I was used to. My mouth was affected more than anything else, and it was years before I smiled fully again (but I did)!

For me, the next phase was a heroic jump into an unsustainably perfect way of living with an autoimmune disease. I bought an arsenal of health books, lost at least 8 of my 9 lives to Google (and self-diagnosed myself with 34.5 other diseases), interrogated numerous doctors, and went to weird support groups in dark church basements.