Running Shoes & Takayasu

Prologue :)

  I was supposed to get struck by lightning and win the lottery, twice, before I got this disease. One in three million people are diagnosed with the life threatening form of vasculitis, Takayasu Arteritis. 

It sounds like teriyaki arthritis.

When I first started writing this, at the very beginning, it was a stress reliever. It helped me keep my head clear, and it helped to channel my energy into something other than my disease. It almost reminded me of running, the way the words flow onto a page was similar to the strides in a mile. But, it quickly became much more than journal entries and time logs. Honestly, I'm not sure what you'd call it now, with it's crazy highs and all time lows, but that's what my disorder has been. Like most things, some days are worse than others. Some days it feels like maybe eventually I'll be okay, but other days, the only word to describe how I feel is hurricane. It gets to the point where everything is spinning out of control, and there isn't anything I can do. But it's not that bad. Not most of the time. The prednisone steroids tend to have that effect on a person, they blow things out of proportion. 

It probably doesn't help that I'm a fourteen year old girl, either. A fourteen year old girl with hopes of being an Olympic runner. When I found about about my diagnosis, I was in the middle of deciding if I wanted to be an Olympic sprinter, or a marathonist. I could've done either, with the right training. It doesn't matter anymore. Not yet. Maybe it won't ever matter, maybe they won't need to find another treatment plan that allows me to run. Maybe the vasculitis will get the best of me, and it won't matter what they could've done. 

Hello! This was the prologue for my new story, Running Shoes & Takayasu. The prologue (the rather short prologue... I promise I'll write more in the next chapter, it was just an introduction :) ) is written from antagonist Sadie Gray's point of view, but I thought I'd leave a note at the end and sort of explain. I myself have been diagnosed with Takayasu Arteritis. My case isn't nearly as severe as Sadie's, but I'm a runner as well. Not an olympic one, but a cross country and track runner, as well as a cheerleader and a dancer. I've had my diagnosis for almost two months, and it's been a lot to adjust to. The steroid side effects have really taken a toll on my confidence, and I have to limit myself when I'm training. Like Sadie described, some days it really does feel like a hurricane. But I'm okay. It really does help to write about it, and my condition was caught early, so I'll be fine :) 

I'm excited to write more, and receive feedback! :) 

-Mg