Hi my name is Catie. I was diagnosed with Wegeners in May of 2013. I have been sick since sixth grade. It all started with a pseudo tumor in the orbit of my eye. I was put on high doses of steroids and after months went into remission. I was completely fine until my sophomore year of high school. I got the flu and for some reason couldn't shake it. I was exhausted all the time. Months went by and I was still exhausted. I started to get really bad joint pain. Months and months went by and this became my new "normal." I was barely making it through high school. The doctor told me I had Valley Fever, so he gave us the meds but the next day I was completely back to normal. Summer was coming and throughout the whole summer I was my self again. My second day of Junior year I got sick again. All of my symptoms came back. We kept going back to the doctor but he only kept telling me that I was depressed and had an eating disorder. We couldn't get a referral because he had to sign off on it and he was sure I was depressed. We finally went to a doctor my teacher recommended to us and he ran some tests. My kidneys were failing. So I was then diagnosed with kidney disease. I began to accept I was never going to have a "normal" life. I eventually graduated from high school and moved to Rochester for College. After my freshman year of college I got pneumonia. I started coughing up blood and my symptoms started to get worse and worse. They began to suspect I had Wegener's so they did a biopsy on my kidneys. I was hospitalized and given IV pred. I am currently doing chemo and high high doses of steroids. I had to move back home to Arizona because the chemo started to get so bad. I still have a hard time accepting I am sick. I am nineteen and I feel so old. I am worried about the treatment I am getting because I know cytoxan can affect you fertility. I love kids, I am a nanny and am studying to become a teacher. Being sick isn't easy and nobody understands unless you are going through it yourself. Someday I feel positive and others I want to shut down. I hope one day I was have a "normal" life and be able to live my age.