Meet your Fellow

Warriors

Sadie + Buddy

Sadie Veselka was diagnosed at age 4 with MCTD including Juvenile Arthritis, Scleroderma, Dermatomyocitis and Raynaud’s. She loves spreading hope and cheer! Read about her here.

Kris

Kris was born with complex hereditary spastic paraplegia. In 2015, he was diagnosed with RA. This neuro + auto-immune warrior Dad loves being creative and being a Card Crew member.

Fuschia

Fuschia Kempen was diagnosed at age 5 with Gastroparesis, POTS, Panhypopituitarism, and Raynaud’s. She knows the isolation that illness can bring. Follow her on IG here.

Monica

Monica is a mom, Navy wife, crafting maven and avid card maker – it’s very therapeutic! She lives with Psoriatic Arthritis, psoriasis, anaphylaxis, and Fibro. Find her on IG here.

Katrina's Lucy

Katrina created the art work for our May the Fur card. The day we mailed them, she had to say good-bye to her beloved Lucy, who was the inspiration for the dog on it. She’s on IG here.

Rebecca

Rebecca lives with severe anxiety + depression. She creates art with positive messages to uplift other warriors who may be battling too. Connect with her here.

Jen

Jen was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in 2012. Sending cards is one of her favorite hobbies and she’s a vital part of our Card Crew! Connect with her here.

Erin

Erin is an illness/pain warrior who suffers from CRPS, Fibro and a host of other illnesses that caused her to become disabled at age 38. Connect here.

Angelica+Colby

Angelica and Colby are a team… together they battle a multitude of illnesses including JIA. You can find her on IG here.

Hannah + Nala

Nala is Hannahs’ second service dog who helps her navigate life with rare disease. You can find her on IG here.

Dani and her black and white cat, Rhubarb

Dani+Rhubarb

Dani is a butch lesbian who lives in Melbourne, Australia. They have CFS and Fibro. Rhubarb always keeps her smiling. Say hi on IG here.

Stephie

Stephie Noldt was diagnosed at age 29 with chronic tension headaches and depressive episodes which forced her to give up her career as a librarian. Meet her here.

Katrina + Otis

Katrina is a warrior artist who lives with narcolepsy and other challenges. She is pictured here with her beloved Otis, who was the inspiration for the corgi in our card. Find her on IG here.

Naomi

Naomi Gilchrist was diagnosed at age 13 with hEDS, Severe M.E (with secondary complications) as well as chronic migraines. She is mostly bed bound at this time. Meet her here.

Liz

Liz is a National Board Certified Spanish teacher, a rare mama, multi-lingual, and a passionate patient advocate. Her mantra is: “Siempre adelante” or “always moving forward.” She’s here.

Since 1990, Denise Brown has been helping caregivers after caring for her father and then her mother, who lived with multiple medical conditions. She founded Caregiving Years Training Academy in 1996.

Laura

Laura Anthony, RN, spent her professional career caring for dialysis patients before leaving to navigate her three teens through diagnosis and treatment of their chronic medical conditions.

Dawn

Dawn Veselka has been navigating her daughter’s complex medical condtions for the past 14 years and knows the challenges of caring for a child with invisible illness.

Stacey

For Stacey Haines, living in Hawaii was a dream come true… until her toddler got sick and she had to advocate relentlessly to get her to the mainland for diagnosis and a care plan. She’s on IG here.

Denise

Denise Archilla, MSW is an illness warrior who has two young adult children warriors. She created Chronic Warrior Coaching to help teens and young adults navigate life with illness and find joy!

Jess

Jess Albert was 27 when she developed a rare migraine condition called New Daily Persistent Headaches (NDPH). It took 4 years and 4 neurologists to get her diagnosis. Meet her here.

Debra

Debra Hallisey cared for her ill father and then her disabled mother. She founded Advocate for Mom and Dad to help guide others who are thrown into the caregiving role!

Amanda

Amanda Phillips (Mandy) was diagnosed at age 15 with hEDS, POTS, Gastroparesis, Sjögren’s Syndrome and Mast Cell Activation Syndrome. Find this college student on IG here.

Dianne

A lover of horror movies and Stephen King novels, Dianne lives with Lupus, RA and APS (antiphospholipid syndrome). Nothing scares this fierce warrior anymore! Follow on IG here.

Kat

Kat knows how spooky daily debilitating migraines can be… so she writes children’s books to help them through hospital stays and scary procedures! She’s @xokat on IG here.

Audrey

Halloween is Audrey’s favorite holiday and the spookier the better! Kinda like life with multiple chronic illnesses, which Audrey knows all too well. Connect with her on IG here.

Michele

Michele Frank lives with Hashimoto’s and Fibromyalgia, along with multiple undiagnosed conditions. She knows the challenges of trying to get answers!

Patty

After caring for her father for years, Patty knows the challenges of being a caregiver for a parent and being an illness warrior!

Arianna

Over the past 6 years, Arianna Anthony has been diagnosed with Lyme Disease, Sjögren’s Syndrome, Gastroparesis and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS). Meet her here.

Aubrey

meet Aubrey

Addison

meet Addison

Kayleigh

meet Kayleigh

Holly

meet Holly

Karissa

meet Karissa

Holly

meet Holly

Get Involved

There are several ways that you can be involved with cards2warriors.org.

You can nominate a chronic illness warrior or caregiver that you know could use a little sunshine in their life. We will review submissions and send happy mail to as many as we can.
Make a donation that will go toward the cost of printing and postage.
You or your company can sponsor an event! We will highlight your business on our site and include your logo on the cards and envelopes we send out.

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