Hello, World! Once upon a time, I had a blog. It was so fun for me, but after a rough year, I stopped and didn’t pick it up again. Then I got sick. Again. My plate suddenly got really full trying to manage a serious, life-altering disease. It was really easy to narrow my world and just focus on that. 

Then, earlier this year I attended an amazing rare disease conference and was inspired to share my voice. So here I am, being brave and sharing my voice again. 

My adventures in crafting, especially paper crafting, began at 13/14 when I got very sick and missed a lot of school. As a child, I loved walking the aisles of office supply stores. The pens! The highlighters! The rulers! The planners! The paper! All the organization helps! Oh goodness, it’s a really good thing I didn’t know about or go into craft stores. I would have fainted from pure joy. Smart move, Mom! Ha! 

But then, my mom claims she made the “worst mistake of her life*” when she bought me a pack of fancy printed scrapbook papers, scissors, and glue to keep me entertained while I was sick. My obsession with scrapbooking, documenting life, and crafting began. I could turn that paper into anything my imagination could think of, just using scissors and glue! 

It took a long time to figure out what made me sick when I was 13/14, but in 2015, 16 years later, I finally got answers when I was diagnosed with Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) after a series of worsening allergic reactions, including several rounds of anaphylaxis. Since then we’ve also found out that I have dysautonomia (likely POTS, but I was having a good day when we did the testing), and a Primary Immunodeficiency (Specific Antibody Deficiency). Basically all this means my immune system is broken in a few different ways and I’m taking on a lot of medications to keep me from going into anaphylaxis. Good times!

I craft to keep myself sane as I deal with my complicated body. And I try to get out and adventure when my body is up to it. The photo above is from a recent drive up a canyon to see the fall foliage. So beautiful!

So, Hello World! I hope you’ll join me and follow along!

*that’s an accurate quote I’ve heard multiple times, hahaha!

Megan

Megan is a chronic crafter, writer, and an advocate for those with invisible diseases, particularly Mast Cell Diseases. She has Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, along with other conditions. Find her crafty projects (her form of therapy) and experiences with MCAS at www.luckystarsstudio.com.

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