Clara

Hi! I’m Clara, a 25-year-old blogger and micro business owner. I live with my husband, my service dog, two cats, and a few fish. Because I am chronically ill and disabled, my mission is to raise awareness and advocate around chronic illness. I have about a dozen diagnoses including type 1 diabetes, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, severe allergies, hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, POTS, orthostatic hypotension, gastroparesis, asthma, and several mental health conditions. I am here because I need to tell my story and to build a legacy of advocacy and honesty.

For a long time, the only people I could relate to were online. Now, I can be that person for someone else. While that’s the point of my blog, I also write about my service dog and my interests, which include Dungeons and Dragons, video games, reading, playing the viola, cooking, crafting, and creative writing! I even run two Etsy stores. One is called Chimera Characters, where I create custom characters for Dungeons and Dragons, and one is called Incurably Clara, where I sell stickers.

Arlo

Arlo is my service dog, which means he is specially trained to do tasks that mitigate my disabilities. For instance, Arlo can do things like alert to blood sugar changes, retrieve items, calm panic attacks, and so much more! He goes everywhere with me so that I can function independently. Because Arlo is so smart and loves to learn, he started working full-time when he was a year old.

Arlo is a golden doodle (a golden retriever and poodle mix) who came to me when he was only seven weeks old. Some of his favorite things are sticks, peanut butter, and snuggling. He likes to work, but he also likes to play in the yard. Arlo is a great big brother to my cats and loves all my family members.