Katie suffers from an autoimmune disease and feels neglected by those around her

TESTIMONY

Katie suffers from an autoimmune disease.

She says she is disappointed by those around her who do not accompany her in the illness.

She also evokes the periods of mourning for her father and then for her husband, during which her relatives, again, did not support her.

Suffering from loneliness, Katie would like to find a circle of friends.

At the microphone of Sabine Marin, on "La Libre antenna" of Europe 1, Katie shared her idea of ​​creating a group of people with autoimmune diseases thanks to the friendly dating site "We will go out!".

>> Listen to Katie's full story here

"I have an autoimmune disease. I was extremely disappointed with the people around me, even my family. For a couple, they say that it is better to be alone than in bad company, but this also applies to children. Being alone is one thing, but it's hard to be alone when you are accompanied. Knowing that you could get help, but that people do nothing, it's worse "I have vasculitis. Symptoms are skin burns, joint pain and extreme fatigue. The immune system is racing and creating inflammation. So I was put on disability." 

They left me alone when my father died

With my brothers and sisters, it had been a long time since it was okay.

My mom has always been horrible to me.

She was manic-depressive, we say bipolar now.

I was the ugly duckling of the family.

My father was particularly attentive to me.

I didn't feel alone when my father was there, because I knew he understood me.

My father passed away when I was 27.

He died on December 31.

I didn't even get a call from my siblings.

They left me alone when my father died.

Then there was the death of my husband in 2007. I found him dead with my 10 year old son.

I called my eldest son who at the time was 23 years old.

He told me he was at work.

It's incredible.

That same evening, I was all alone.

A month later, it was Christmas.

My oldest son went to his in-laws, because I was going to spoil the atmosphere with my grief.

He preferred to leave me alone with his little brother. 

During my sick leave, I did not receive a phone call

Afterwards, I worked at night.

It also isolates.

This is the only job I have found.

I was the only one to take care of my son.

I did twenty twelve-hour nights in the month.

I was doing disinfection in the emergency room and in the operating room.

As I finished my nights at 6 o'clock, I also took on a day job from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m., so that I could buy myself an apartment and have a project.

I bought my apartment and started my work.

I am very handy.

I wasn't sleeping anymore, but it was good. 

Five years after my husband died, I still had bursts of grief.

All of a sudden, I would start to cry.

So I got help.

My apartment was starting to look good and my life was taking shape.

This is where the back pain started.

I had back surgery.

Then, this genetic disease appeared.

During the period when I was on sick leave, I did not receive a phone call from my co-workers.

Between my back and my illness, I was on leave for two years. 

>> Find the Libre antenna in replay and podcast here

I am not surrounded.

I have had an idea.

After confinement, I want to create a group around autoimmune diseases in Brest via the site "We will go out!".

It's a site that people offer outings on.

There are so many autoimmune diseases.

We could go to a restaurant, go for a walk, drink a tea and try to create affinities.

If I made a girlfriend who loves DIY, that would be ideal.

I would also love to find a boyfriend.

But it's difficult, I've been alone since 2007. Men want to go too fast, it scares me.

It takes time.

"