Erika L. Orriss lives in Satellite Beach Florida, about an hour east of the hospital that saved her life. She moved over for a business opportunity and stayed for the ocean. She enjoys any water-related activity. She is active politically, socially, and environmentally within her community. Erika stopped working in software when another autoimmune illness hit a flare and her primary neurologist said, “You have this master’s degree and a lot of history to help others – use it. It will allow you to have a more flexible schedule and still give back which has been your focus all along.” Her doctors never thought she would go back to work, but she did and except for brief periods of disability absence, she had almost thirty years in the corporate world as a successful software engineer. She currently manages her own hours working as a licensed mental health counselor in Melbourne, Florida. She specializes in helping those suffering from chronic illness, mental and otherwise. Erika loves to do yoga, although her feet never really came back and she sometimes falls over. She remains open to try just about anything once. She does not think of herself as disabled, but her body at times reminds her. She plays drums, has a dog, loves to kayak, and raise awareness for rare diseases. Erika and Dale Orriss are no longer married but remain very close. Her children rebounded well from a challenging upbringing. Her daughter Jessica is married and holds a graduate degree in Engineering from Georgia Tech, and “baby” Jonathan is graduating from Florida State University with a degree in Economics.Her family remains very close from ties that bind beyond human understanding. Erika was given the opportunity to help take care of her mother before her passing in February 2022.Erika is looking to complete a doctoral program to better understand neurological/neuromuscular disorders and considering running for public office.Read more about this authorRead less about this author