ADVOCACY
Intrigued by Celeste? I certainly am. I reached out to her and asked to meet. We sat down for a couple hours sometime this past spring and this interview was the result:
M: Okay Celeste, how many years young are you?
C: I’m 58.
M: What is your occupation?
C: I have my own business — Gallagher’s Milk Paint. I’ve had my own website for 13–14 years. I work from home.
M: That’s great!
C: I applied for a grant for women with disabilities. I won the grant and started my own business. I paint American flags (on big planks of wood), fill orders that come through the website, paint reproductions. It’s been the best thing.
M: That’s incredible Celeste! Good for you. Okay, shifting gears. Let’s talk about your health. How do you define your chronic condition?
C: I have Lyme disease. Lyme caused multiple sclerosis.
M: When were you diagnosed with Lyme disease?
C: I was misdiagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) first. That was ten years ago. My doctor treated me with chemotherapy (immunosuppressive therapy) for three and a half years. The chemo destroyed my blood. One spirochete (the bacteria that causes Lyme disease) turns into 6 million spirochetes in one year. My body swelled, my blood pressure went through the roof. I was near death.
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