Living with Autoimmune Disease - A Story of Strength and Courage with Kelly Buchan
What happens when life throws you a curveball that changes everything? Kelly Buchan, a creative Australian mum in her late forties, discovered the answer when rheumatoid arthritis entered her world. In this raw and powerful conversation, Kelly shares how she's learning to navigate chronic autoimmune disease while building a 3D rendering business, parenting a teenager, and maintaining a 30-year relationship. From a traumatic childhood to finding love and stability, then facing the uncertainty of chronic illness, Kelly's story reveals the incredible resilience that lives within us all. At the same time, it reminds us how adversity can become the catalyst for living more authentically than ever before.
Key takeaways
Advocate Fiercely for Your Health
When Kelly's symptoms weren't showing up in standard blood tests, she could have accepted "you're fine" as an answer. Instead, she persisted until finding doctors who recognised seronegative rheumatoid arthritis. Don't let anyone dismiss your pain or symptoms. Keep asking questions, seek second opinions, and trust your instincts about your own body.
Chronic Illness Requires Creative Adaptation, Not Surrender
Kelly's journey shows that having a chronic condition doesn't mean giving up on life—it means redesigning it. She found creative outlets through social media and 3D rendering when physical activities became challenging. The key is identifying what brings you joy and purpose, then finding new ways to access those feelings.
Build Your Medical Dream Team Before You Need Them
Having supportive healthcare providers made all the difference in Kelly's diagnosis and treatment journey. Don't wait until the crisis hits. Cultivate relationships with doctors who listen, specialists who think outside the box, and therapists who understand your whole story.
Master the Art of Selective Sharing
While support groups can provide a valuable connection, Kelly learned to be selective about which advice to take and how much negativity to absorb. Engage with communities that lift you up, but maintain boundaries around your mental health and optimism.
Plan for Life's Curveballs Without Living in Fear
Kelly's practical approach includes having financial safety nets like critical illness insurance and building flexibility into career choices. It's not about expecting the worst—it's about creating security that allows you to face uncertainty with confidence.
Moving forward
Kelly's story reminds us that strength isn't about avoiding struggle—it's about how we respond when life changes the rules. Whether you're facing health challenges, supporting someone who is, or simply recognising that none of us are immune to life's unexpected turns, Kelly's message is clear: you are stronger than you think you are.
Ready to connect? Find Kelly sharing her honest journey on Instagram, where she balances real talk about chronic illness with her creative work and family life. Her openness about the messy, complicated, and ultimately beautiful reality of midlife with chronic illness offers both inspiration and practical wisdom.
https://www.instagram.com/liveablelife/
What's one small step you can take today to build more resilience, advocate for your health, or support someone facing their own health challenges? Start there—because as Kelly shows us, the path forward is built one authentic, courageous choice at a time.
Connect with me
Join Better Than Before: joclarkcoaching.com/better
Share your journey with me by sending me a message on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/joclarkcoaching/
Email me your success story at jo@joclarkcoaching.com.
What you do today shapes your tomorrow. Your health matters because YOU matter.
Here’s to redefining midlife and making our next half of life even better than the first.
