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Junior Emergency Preparedness Officer
Montgomery Village, Maryland, United States
Hi there, lovely attendees of this year's IgNS conference. My name is Alexandra Brown, but I go by Allie. It's a pleasure to meet you. I am 29 years old and I have a loving, supportive, wonderful boyfriend named Chris who has been my rock on this bumpy ride. My kitty is named Coconut Cashmere Cabana. My wildest dream is to visit the Galapagos Islands. I was born with a Primary Immune Deficiency and have been receiving immunoglobulin therapy for eight years. I currently work as the Junior Emergency Preparedness Officer at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. I am a long-time invisible illness wellness warrior and have been running my positivity and health blog, "Souper Douper SCDer" for a decade. I initially launched it in an attempt to save myself from the terror of fighting invisible diseases, but I quickly realized it was a path for me to help others on this journey as well. At a very young age, I learned that having a positive mindset is a critical tool for healing. It's not always easy to find that place of peace in your mind when your own body is working against you every step of the way, but that's why I step in and help guide people to that place of peace and acceptance. I have learned that chasing after a 'cure' is not the way to go, but instead to find a path of acceptance and eliminate as much inflammation in your body as possible. The word 'cure' is dangerous. It's better to seek a way of coping with your fight against inflammation. It's a day-to-day journey, but together, we can succeed as invisible illness wellness warriors. One should not have to fight for wellness alone. It's a fight best fought as a tribe. :)