I am excited to be Deputy Chair of Scleroderma Australia and President of Scleroderma Queensland to further promote, support, and foster understanding and research into this challenging and largely unknown disease. In 2010, at the age of 40, I was diagnosed with Systemic scleroderma. The first symptoms were pain in my feet and stiffening of my hands that came on, as I was recovering from viral encephalitis, which had left me with relatively mild but still challenging cognitive impairment. My treating team at the time were rightly focussed upon my acquired brain injury, but as that was improving with psychological treatment, my feet and hands were just getting worse. I was formally diagnosed 3 months later and was referred to the expert team at St. Vincent’s hospital in Melbourne where I received the best of care. Before Scleroderma, I started my working career in Melbourne as a live theatre performer, working on the comedy and circus scene. Nothing like working with the likes of Billy Connolly to reinforce the importance of humour in providing you with the courage and energy to keep fighting. I also played Clarinet and Saxophone professionally on the jazz and musical theatre scene and was a Martial arts Instructor.As I got older, I wanted to find a more secure employment so trained as a Registered Nurse, undertaking my graduate year at Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute in 1997. The learnings gained about the importance of open communication, honesty and kindness could not be understated. Working in an environment where everyone knew that Cancer was the diagnosis gave permission for us to foster what truly mattered, and so I can happily say it was the most joyful place I ever worked. Through-out my nursing career I have been fortunate to work in many other areas of nursing including rural and regional settings. I completed my Nurse Practitioner Internship in 2010. It was then I became unwell with Scleroderma so I had to reinvent myself again. I could no longer work clinically due to my poor hand function. I had developed numerous ulcerations along both arms and couldn’t stand for longer than 10 minutes so was unsafe within the clinical environment. I therefore moved into Education, firstly with the Department of Health in Victoria and then Federation University where I managed the Nursing program. Still able to give back, but through supporting the education of young health professionals. In 2019 it was becoming clear that I could not continue working due to Scleroderma and the complications that ensued, so as a family we made the big decision to uproot our world and move to warmer clime. My son was in year 10 so could move to Queensland to complete his year 11 and 12. Whilst he didn’t want to move away from friends, he had also grown up experiencing how the challenges of life can hit you out of the blue, and rather than say “why me” it is more useful to say “Bugger, OK what can I do to help?” On December 23 rd 2019 we arrived in Maleny, Queensland; My Mother, husband and son. In the space of 6 months we had sold two properties in country Victoria, driven through bushfires and bought a home where we could live together as a family. So, four of COVID later, I am on a disability pension, and an NDIS participant. My son is away studying at University in Canberra. I am supported by my Mother, Husband and a small group of friends. I can rejoice in the good fortune that I have had despite my diagnosis, the love of a family and financial security which has allowed me to better negotiate the challenges that Scleroderma poses every day. I am excited about the next stage of my journey, working with you all, as my Dad used to say, “As we travel the broad highway together”.