Aliana’s Journey: Living with MS and Finding Community

Key Takeaways

• After being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), Aliana discovered the value of connecting with others who understood the realities of autoimmune disease.
• Through her business, Cozy By Aliana, she hosted an autoimmune-themed art workshop during Autoimmune Awareness Month in 2026, blending creativity, connection, and awareness.
• Aliana generously donated 20% of that art workshop’s proceeds to the Autoimmune Association to further our mission of improving healthcare, advancing research, and empowering the community.
• Aliana believes that open conversations, community support, and increased awareness can help people feel less isolated while encouraging earlier diagnosis and access to care.

Finding Connection Through Creativity

For artist and entrepreneur Aliana, creativity has always been about more than making art. A major aspect of her business, Cozy By Aliana, involves leading art and collage workshops that focus on in-person community just as much as on handmade creativity. On Long Island in New York, her events have encouraged people to gather and express themselves so they can build meaningful connections.

After being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), fostering a sense of community became even more important to Aliana. During one of her events, she had an impromptu discussion with two attendees about autoimmunity, motivating her to dedicate one of her workshops to individuals with autoimmune disorders. 

Her AUTOIMMUNE workshop sent ripples through her local community, raising awareness of the various autoimmune diseases and providing fellow patients with a safe space to talk about the health challenges they have faced. Plus, she generously donated 20% of the proceeds to the Autoimmune Association to further our mission.

Aliana’s story has the potential to inspire others to stay resilient in the face of health challenges and to use their passions to create supportive environments for people with autoimmune conditions. 

Aliana’s Story with Autoimmunity

Aliana was diagnosed with Crohn’s at 18 and MS a few weeks after her 27th birthday. Months before her MS diagnosis, she began feeling pins and needles in her left hand and arm, and experienced a shock-like sensation throughout her body when she would bend her neck.

She felt trapped in her body when the symptoms got bad. She also felt bogged down by the new responsibilities she had to juggle to prioritize her health, from attending a myriad of doctor appointments to meticulously keeping track of medical information and promptly communicating changes in her health.

Thankfully, one of her most recent MRIs showed stability attributable to the disease-modifying therapy she is partaking in. Still, living with MS comes with uncertainty. Questions about the future can be difficult to ignore, even during periods when the disease appears stable.

Living With the Unknown

Receiving an autoimmune diagnosis often brings a mix of emotions. On the one hand, having answers can provide clarity, but on the other, it can raise new questions about what comes next.

Like most people living with multiple autoimmune diseases, Aliana’s symptoms can fluctuate, and new sensations can trigger concern. To keep a pulse on her health and minimize discomfort, Aliana has to manage multiple appointments, treatments, and ongoing monitoring. So, even when things are going well, there is often a mental and emotional burden that accompanies her chronic illnesses.

Fortunately, Aliana found support from people who understood those realities firsthand. One of the most important sources of encouragement came from her cousin who also lives with MS.

How Connection Helped

Although the diagnosis brought on a lot of uncomfortable feelings and difficulties for Aliana, receiving support from her cousin during the early stages of the diagnosis helped her feel more hopeful and less alone in her struggles. It also helped her realize that being vocal about your story can inspire others to open up, too—realizing that if her cousin had never discussed her diagnosis, Aliana wouldn’t have known that she had it, and wouldn’t have been able to bond over the shared condition.

Over time, she realized that many people living with autoimmune diseases are seeking the same sense of understanding and connection that her cousin offered her.

An Unexpected Conversation Sparks an Idea

In February 2026, Aliana hosted one of her regular art workshops through Cozy By Aliana. During the event, she learned that two participants were also living with autoimmune diseases. She had a casual conversation with these attendees that quickly blossomed into something more meaningful.

As the three discussed their experiences with managing chronic illness, Aliana felt an immediate sense of camaraderie—the conversation felt natural, supportive, and deeply validating. There is something incredibly special about being surrounded by people who make you feel seen and understood. 

Rather than allowing the moment to remain a one-time conversation, Aliana began thinking about how she could intentionally create more opportunities for people with autoimmune diseases to connect.

Creating the AUTOIMMUNE Art Workshop

Inspired by the experience mentioned above, Aliana developed a new workshop centered specifically on autoimmune disease awareness and community. The event, called “AUTOIMMUNE,” was held in March 2026 in recognition of Autoimmune Awareness Month.

The mission was to create a welcoming environment where people living with autoimmune diseases could come together and talk openly about their experiences while expressing themselves creatively. Participants used the art of collage to reflect on their symptoms, challenges, emotions, and personal journeys.

What This Event Looked Like

To kick off this intimate, 11-person workshop, Aliana led a brief writing exercise in which everyone was invited to list what they considered invisible vs. visible symptoms of autoimmune diseases. 

Afterward, they had a discussion and started getting creative. Aliana provided collage materials such as vintage and modern magazines, colorful paper, stickers, glue, and scissors for everyone to use to make art based on their discussion.

Throughout the entirety of the event, attendees connected over struggles, strengths, and other things like:

• What makes them feel supported on their autoimmune journeys
• How they advocate for themselves
• What they wish people understood about them
• Uncomfortable symptoms
• Workplace accommodations
• Diagnosis stories

The great thing about collaging, according to Aliana, is that there’s a very low barrier to entry to get started: All you need is scissors, a glue stick, a magazine, and an observant eye. Collaging is all about piecing together interesting phrases and images that speak to you, and there are no drawing or painting skills needed. Collaging can also help you discover what speaks to you and bring out feelings that you may not have otherwise considered or reflected on outside of an artistic environment. For an art workshop like this one, blending creativity and reflection lent well to an environment about unleashing difficult feelings.

If you are managing an autoimmune condition and didn’t get a chance to participate in Aliana’s event, you can still submit autoimmune-inspired art to the Autoimmune Association’s art gallery to contribute to a similar initiative that blends art and awareness.

What Was the Response?

Aliana’s AUTOIMMUNE workshop made a measurable impact. Not only did this fundraiser help her business build credibility through the news, as it was featured on one of Long Island’s most prominent news channels, but it also reminded people that the arts, autoimmune disease awareness, and in-person community deeply matter.

People at the workshop sighed in relief, sharing that they wished such a space had existed before and that they really enjoyed being in a communal environment like that. Someone even suggested making the workshop a weekly thing, which may be challenging due to how much time and energy it takes to put together; however, Aliana thinks it’d be great to do a similar workshop again.

 

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Turning Awareness Into Action

In addition to creating a supportive space, Aliana wanted the workshop to contribute to a larger cause. As part of the event, she donated 20% of the workshop proceeds to the Autoimmune Association to support ongoing awareness through education, advocacy, and research.

The fundraiser reflected her belief that awareness matters not only for people already living with autoimmune diseases but also for those who may still be searching for answers.

The Power of Awareness

Many people with autoimmune conditions experience delays while trying to get a diagnosis due to misunderstood symptoms. Increasing awareness can help people recognize autoimmune-related symptoms more accurately and talk to their healthcare provider earlier.

Aliana also hopes greater awareness will ultimately contribute to better access to testing, treatment, and care. Despite the financial resources available, many patients still face financial barriers that discourage them from seeking medical evaluation or following through with recommended care. Increased awareness can help drive conversations about improving accessibility and support for those navigating autoimmune diseases.

Advice for Others Living With Autoimmune Disease

Reflecting on her own experiences, Aliana encourages others living with autoimmune diseases to remember they do not have to navigate the journey alone.

The four pieces of advice she would give someone in similar shoes as her are:

1. Talk openly with people you trust
2. Be honest with your healthcare providers about symptoms and concerns
3. Advocate for yourself when you feel you need additional support or answers
4. Seek out community when possible—find a support group

She believes that connection can make a meaningful difference, whether that comes from family members, friends, support groups, fellow patients, or community events. Sometimes simply knowing that someone else understands can help lighten the burden.

Build Trusted Healthcare Relationships

As someone living with MS, Aliana understands the value of finding the right healthcare provider who listens, communicates clearly, and treats their patients as partners in their own care.

Before receiving her diagnosis, Aliana consulted with multiple neurologists and ultimately chose to continue working with the provider who made her feel heard and respected—although another specialist was geographically closer, she prioritized the relationship she built with the physician who demonstrated patience, compassion, and a willingness to answer questions.

That experience reinforced an important lesson: Medical expertise matters, but so does trust.

Patients managing chronic autoimmune conditions often work with the same providers for years. Feeling comfortable discussing symptoms, concerns, and treatment decisions can significantly affect the overall care experience.

For Aliana, finding the right healthcare team has been an important part of navigating life with MS. Without the support of her care team, she may not have reached the level of stability she is at now, which allows her to keep hosting community-building events and selling eye-catching items on Cozy By Aliana’s digital shop.

Raising Hope Through Community

Aliana’s story demonstrates that awareness can take many forms. Sometimes it comes through advocacy campaigns or educational initiatives; other times, it comes through fundraising efforts; or it may simply begin with a conversation among people who recognize parts of their own experience in someone else’s story.

Through the AUTOIMMUNE art workshop, Aliana transformed her passion for art and personal experience with MS into an opportunity for connection, creativity, and support. In doing so, she helped create a space where people living with autoimmune diseases could feel seen, understood, and therefore less alone.

The Autoimmune Association is grateful for supporters like Aliana who use their talents, passions, and platforms to raise awareness and build community. Through fundraising efforts like hers, we are able to continue educational outreach and patient advocacy, creating hope for a future with greater understanding and better outcomes for those affected by autoimmune disease.

If you are interested in becoming an advocate, the Autoimmune Association can help you get involved.