Women's History Month: Kasie Cline-Crawford

Meet Kasie, the sweetest, most encouraging, and most courageous woman I met around last Thanksgiving.

Kaylyn Gabbert: Have you ever heard about International Women's Day (March 8th) before this? If so, when did you hear about it?

Kasie Cline-Crawford: I have heard of International Women’s Day. I found out it was a thing when I was about 12 or 13. I’ve always had this love and draw toward the 1920s. If I recall correctly, the day was established in early 1920-ish. 

KG: I think it's really cool you heard about Women's Day so young because I was never informed about it until I was an adult and I grew up as I like to say a 'forced nomad' and nobody was teaching that or anything. Had I learned that when I was younger I think it'd strengthen my resolve. How'd you learn about it?

KCC: I think I came across it while doing some history research.

KG: You told me you had many tattoos before. How many tattoos do you have? And what are some of the most meaningful ones to you? 

KCC: Oh yes. My body art aka “tattoos”. How many do I have? That is a loaded question. I have lost count. I have two full sleeves, pelvis, lower back, upper back, shoulders, ribs, sides, both thighs, foot, ankle, calf, side of the hand, and finger. Honestly, every single one of my tattoos have meaning, whether it’s my NEDA symbol on my abdomen, sketch portraits of my kids, sunflower for a friend who lost her life, a faith inspired quote…every drop of ink has a story behind it.

KG: That's really cool that there's a story behind each tattoo. I absolutely love that. That's the same with mine even if I only have a few compared to yours. 

Are you ever afraid you'll run out of room for more tattoos? 

At what age, if I ask, did you know you wanted full tattoo sleeves? (This doesn't have to be a part of the official interview. I just have full chronic body pain everywhere thanks to the Cerebral Palsy so since I was 21/22, when I got my first tattoo in memory of my dad that I wanted since I was 17 and lost him I knew I wanted tattoo sleeves because tattoos on my arms are easy because no chronic pain there.) 

KCC: Running out of room has never been a fear, there’s always ways to enhance and add on. 

I’ve always been into body art. However, I have scars on my arms and I get rashes from lupus. Everyone was always asking me “what happened? Are you allergic to something?” I would always wear long sleeves  and living in FL, that gets to be a bit uncomfortable. So, I decided I was going to stain my glass and make it beautiful. Never looked back. 

KG: May I ask about your lupus? If that's a topic that's off limits on or off the record please let me know. 

KCC: Sure.. what would you like to know? I’m an open book. 

KG: I'd like an overview about lupus first as well as what it means to be in remission? Like can you go into remission many times? I'm sorry, I've never come across lupus before.

KCC: So… There are a few different types of Lupus. I have SLE (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus). In a nutshell, the immune system attacks healthy tissues and organs. SLE has attacked my heart, lungs, digestive tract, central nervous system, kidneys, joints… People with Lupus have severe light sensitivity. You’ll often hear me refer to the sun as my frenemy. I love the sunshine but it is absolutely brutal to my body. If I’m out in the sun too long (even on a cloudy day), I could be sick for days. 

As far as remission goes, when SLE isn’t “active,” it’s in remission. Honestly, you never know when it will happen. Heck, I was on a cruise and had a sudden flare. It took almost 2 years for it to go back into remission. 

I can’t say how SLE is for others because for everyone it is different. My doctors have referred to me as their “worst case scenario” at times. 

I do have to give credit to my team of doctors, they are amazing! Without them, I wouldn’t be alive today.

When I was first diagnosed, I was told it would be impossible for me to carry a child or if I did that child would have health issues, I wouldn’t be able to work, travel much… etc. Guess what? Doctors don’t know everything. 

I’m not going to say life has been easy, it hasn’t. However, I DO have THREE amazing kids (2 boys, Adisen and Alek and a girl,Kora) and an angel baby (boy, Saige). Ad, Alek, and Kora were all small babies and premature. However, for the most part, they are healthy and thriving. 

Because of SLE, I now have Hashimotos, CKD Stage 3, and Raynaud's permanent damage to my central nervous system, digestive tract, and heart. However, I’m still living and breathing. 

I’m sorry if I went on a rant about it. I appreciate you asking about it.

KG: First and foremost of course I was going to ask about it. If I don't understand something, I'd rather, as politely as possible, ask the friends and family in my life who have to deal with it and how it affects them specifically. It helps that I have personal experience in that department as well as family members I hold near and dear to me. I'm sorry you had a flare up on your cruise. That must have been awful. Where I have something like that with my own personal experiences, it sounds nowhere near as severe as yours. I don't get remission, but my flare ups aren't nearly as severe based on how you describe due to it hitting more body parts. I fully understand SLE like every other thing you can be born with, a spectrum of how each and every affect who has them. 

As my mom was told she was originally never going to have children and how grateful she was to have me, my younger sister, and my younger brother, I can only say I am absolutely, positively happy you had children as you definitely wanted them. I am, however, sorry for your angel baby. I can't even pretend to imagine the pain there. 

What is Hashimoto's CKD? What does Stage 3 of it mean? 

And if, at any time, I'm asking too many invasive questions, please let me know. 

Hope you're doing well. And by the way, your text messages made my heart do a happy little flip. 

KCC: Hashimoto's is an autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks the thyroid gland. CKD stage 3 is chronic kidney disease stage 3. Stage 3 is “moderate” kidney damage. 

KG: Is there anything they can do to help manage kidney disease?

KCC: When I have SLE flares, it tends to cause further kidney issues. I have chronic kidney infections, UTIs, and stones. That definitely doesn’t help matters. I watch the meds I take for pain and antibiotics because some cause further kidney damage. 

During my last flare, my kidney function dropped rather low. However, with some medication adjustments, my kidneys are stable now. 

In a nutshell, yes there are things I can do to help manage my kidney function. However, I’m also at the mercy of my body to work with me. 

KG: I don't fully understand that but my Cerebral Palsy spasms flare up in extreme cold and extreme hot, and in those extremes they attack my bladder. Usually my Cerebral Palsy spasms stick to my legs and back. 

KCC: The weather definitely impacts my flares as well. 

I bet the winters are brutal for you. 

KG: The winters have been different since my husband passed in December. Now I can't gauge how the Cerebral Palsy will react in the winter. New York has humidity that screws with my Cerebral Palsy the most when it comes to weather relations. I found that after moving to New York as I was a forced nomad. 

KG: What are some of your hobbies? 

KCC: Hobbies….. if I define a hobby it is “an activity done regularly in one's leisure time for pleasure.”   With 3 kids, 4 pups, 2 guineas, a full time job, and husband… My hobbies always include my family. I love cruising, hitting the theme parks, playing board games, dancing around the living room… However, if we are talking about my own down time… I’m a true crime junkie. 

KG: What are some of your favorite board games? 

What got you into true crime?

KCC: I’m more into card games than board games; uno, phase 10. 

True crime has always been a passion. I’ve always been a researcher and gone down rabbit holes. Vintage cases definitely hold my attention more. I think it’s that desire to seek justice for those who have lost their voice. 

KG: What's Phase 10? I've never heard of it. 

Do you have a desire to, or do you work on helping solve some vintage or cold cases?

KCC: Phase 10 is a card game. You have to get all different combinations of cards, in order. Whoever gets the 19 combinations first, wins. 

I would love to help solve a vintage/cold case. When I was in college, I wanted to be a forensic analyst. Life took me in a different direction, I’m a financial analyst.