The story of Elisa
Not your usual after-photo, but here we go: the 15.10.2021 marked my first day of treatment with Ilaris, an immunosuppressant which has been able to help me dealing with my Hyper-IgD Syndrome (also known as periodic-fever of the Dutch type, so I guess that’s where my good looks come from 🤷🏻♀️).
When I was 3 months old, I almost lost my life due to a bronchitis. Could that have been the trigger to it all, I still wonder. Between then and when I was 10 years old, I was hospitalised around 15 times. As I grew older, this turned into a lot of people claiming “oh, it’s all in your head”, including doctors and those who were supposed to help and support me. Not that this was any news, but it definitely started to sink in my brain: the thought that I was wrong, that I could not achieve anything or be happy because of something so simple: myself. Then, mental health issues came in, and boom, the cake was made.
This is not me feeling sorry for myself: this is me raising a flag for a disorder that is shared by a mere 200 more people worldwide. And for all of those sicknesses of the body and the mind that people just aren’t aware of. This is a message of hope, for everyone who’s been constantly fighting with their body, and they yet don’t know what is going on. You are seen.
P.s. yes, this is me trying to give myself the middle finger because hey, there’s a new sheriff in town 💅🏻