Hello! My name is Mary Zawalick, and I am a freshman at Barnard College of Columbia University. Here is the story of my experience with autoimmune diseases and how the idea for this project emerged.

When I was young, my sister suffered from undiagnosed joint pain and severe fatigue for many years. My mother took her to different doctors, but some turned her away because they believed it was just period cramping and she was “too young” for arthritis.

We had no idea how to recognize the signs of autoimmune diseases, and there were no pediatric rheumatologists in our small town. This left our family without answers for many years.

Once we got a diagnosis, a new challenge presented itself: navigating the different doctors, appointments, medications, and more. My mother always struggled to find what she was looking for in her unorganized binder of medical records.

Additionally, immunology was a new and confusing topic—no one in our family was a doctor. I watched my mother pour over different websites and books trying to learn more, and, once I was old enough, I joined.

Overall, this process was significantly more confusing than it needed to be. I became inspired to create this website to help families like mine. Our goal is to make rheumatology care more accessible and manageable. The website contains many resources for finding rheumatology care in your area and learning about immunology. Additionally, the linked Notion template will significantly improve the organization of your healthcare.

Welcome!