Faces of hope

I have had scleroderma since June 2018. But for the past ten years, I was wondering what was wrong with me healthwise. I am a professional translator, cook and, for the past five years, grower of organic culinary lavender. Agriculture, small fragrant blue flowers, bees, the tides, agrotourism, my children are grown so, full sun responsibly since 2016.

The disease settled down quietly on one leg which became red “mottled-like”, to eventually spread to my thigh. In 2009, I showed it to my family doctor who didn’t know what it was. So I said, never mind, I won’t be wearing shorts in summer. No problem.

In 2018, I joined a local Christmas Market here in Baie-Saint-Paul. My forehead was horribly itchy and I had a burning sensation. The plaque went from my forehead to my brow, and the following week it reached one eyelid, which became swollen and closed. Very pretty for a public market and my wrist and forearm, had linear plaques. Plus, I was always sick ‒ one bout of flu after another ‒ we try this for the forehead, that for the wrist, antibiotics for my cough. Nothing worked. Read more.

Louise Vidricaire