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Chela: Diffuse Scleroderma

In 2002 I was diagnosed with diffuse scleroderma. It was a hard thing to take for me.

My facial expression changed a lot, but this went unnoticed to the people that do not know me very well. My friends say that I have gotten plastic surgery done.

The worst part are the lumps in my chest, some were so uncomfortable that I had to get them surgically removed.

The pain in my joints is strong, but manageable. I take medications, but what has really caused a trauma in me is the aesthetic part.

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ISN Artist: Ione Bridgman

ISN Artist Ione Bridgman created original artwork to illustrate this page. She is 90 years old, and lives in New Zealand. Her lovely paintings illustrate many of our pages and the covers of our Voices of Scleroderma Book Series.

ISN Translator and Editor: Alba León

Alba León is the ISN Translator for this page. She is studying international relations in Mexico City.

ISN Story Editor: Judith Thompson Devlin

Judith Thompson Devlin is the ISN Story Editor for this story. She is also lead editor of the ISN's wonderful Voices of Scleroderma book series!

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