Popular Filipino influencer Pinky Tobiano recognised that, after years of struggling with Sjogrenโs syndrome, she needed help to reset her mind and body.
At the age of 40, she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. She beat the disease, but the prolonged radiation therapy to treat the cancer led to her developing Sjogrenโs, a little-known chronic autoimmune condition in which the bodyโs immune system attacks the moisture-producing glands, primarily in the eyes and mouth.
โLiving with Sjogrenโs syndrome is difficult,โ shares Tobiano, now 55 and in Manila in the Philippines. She is a chemist by training and an entrepreneur with more than 4.3 million followers on her Instagram account, @pinkytobiano.
โI have no saliva or tears, so I have trouble swallowing food,โ she says. โJust eating is painful and exhausting.โ
Other symptoms have worsened over time.