My Mom Living with Scleroderma
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
By: Kimberly Radomski

My Mom Byrda Darmis suffers from Scleroderma and I am her caregiver. Together we have a Scleroderma & Autoimmune Related Diseases Support Group in Michigan, 12 & Hoover, St John/Med-education center.

My mother Byrda suffers from five autoimmune related diseases including "Systemic Scleroderma", Morphea, Localized Scleroderma, Raynauds phenomenon, Tangelectacious and discoid Lupus.

Scleroderma is a connective tissue disease and Mom has been hospitalized many times. She has undergone skin grafts taken from her thighs to place and heal the open ulcers on the shins of her legs, from her knees down to her toes. Mom experiences Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) with this disease, which makes her heart have to work faster since her pulmonary arteries constrict abnormally.

Sometimes her hands, ears and mouth are white as snow from Raynaud's as this interferes with blood flow. Raynaud's is a rare disorder that affects the arteries, blood vessels that carry blood from your heart to different parts of your body.

Mom has red spots all over her face that she has to cover every day due to discoid Lupus, another autoimmune disease where her immune system attacks healthy tissue, leading to chronic inflammation.

My Mom also has Multiple Sclerosis, Hashimoto's, Erythema Nodosum, as well as Sarcoidosis. Despite all of these conditions, my Mom still has hope for a cure!