Author: Lauren Dewey Tarr
I am a freelance writer/editor, blogger, and middle-aged married mom of two almost-grown boys who embraces her flaws and lives life out loud. I'm also an autoimmune warrior, like you.
In my early thirties, following unrelated heart surgery, I had a hemithyroidectomy to remove the left side of my thyroid gland and the massive tumor that consumed it. I was then diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease.
While struggling with all the usual side effects, I collected other diagnoses: menopause before age 40, osteoporosis by 45, Raynaud's syndrome by 47, and Sjogren's disease at 51.
Through a series of lifestyle changes and the support of my endocrinologist, functional medicine doctor, and mental health therapist, I've been able to shift my mindset and manage my diseases with fewer flare-ups. Today, I am living my healthiest life—and eating ALL my vegetables.
