Dani’s Autoimmune Story

MEET DANI

My name is Dani Grace, and I am the youngest of four sisters. I was born and raised in Asheville, NC, but am currently going to college at Hollins University in VA. I’m currently unemployed, but I have a passion for performing, and for writing music, as I record my own original works.

 DIAGNOSIS

In October of 2018 I was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), however I forced my doctor to refer me to a Rhumatologist for my diagnosis. I was having severe back pain and shortly after moving to college there were days where I couldn’t get out of bed because of the pain down my legs making it impossible for me to walk. After my diagnosis, I was still having pain regardless of my treatment, so in December I received a second diagnosis of having Fibromyalgia.

 LIFE CHANGE

My autoimmune disorder has affected my life in the sense that performing and walking has become more of a struggle for me. I had to completely change my way of living, from my diet to my work schedule, as well as my school schedule. It’s also affected my life because the treatment I was seeking, called Humira, caused me to have an overnight throat infection that put me in the hospital.

 HEALING

Methods of healing I’ve tried started with dietary changes as well as Humira, which brought down my immune system and also gave me extreme anxiety because of the burning sensation that came with the doses every two weeks. After my hospitalization a few weeks ago, my doctor told me to stop using the Humira, and sense then I’ve been using CBD oil for a primary treatment, and it’s been helping a lot with my quality of life.

 STRUGGLE

I still struggle with voicing my pain, and figuring out a way to treat myself without long term drug therapy, because growing up I never depended on medication so being told that I had to rely on the Humira to prevent my pain has been the hardest thing.

 INSPIRATION

My encouragement for my disorder is my grandmother because she is the strongest woman I know. She has helped me so much in my life, and she is my inspiration to fight my disorder harder, and to conquer it.

Find Dani| @danigracemusic