Allison Long Keeps Moving Toward Her Goals: A Marathon and a Medical Career
Allison Long had never run a marathon, but it was a goal. She was training for a half-marathon after completing a 10k when she was diagnosed with IgA vasculitis/IgA nephropathy at 21.
In the face of a chronic illness, Allison, now 24, has chosen to continue pursuing her goals. It’s all about finding ways to thrive with her disease, to keep pushing forward, and to show others that even with a diagnosis like hers, you can still achieve amazing things.
Before her diagnosis, Allison had never heard of vasculitis, and it took her a long time to regain comfort in her body afterward.
“Running a marathon will allow me to feel like I have regained trust and confidence in my body, while also showing others that having a chronic, autoimmune disease doesn’t have to hold you back from your physical goals,” she said.
IgA (immu noglobulin A) vasculitis, formerly known as Henoch-Schönlein purpura, causes inflammation of the small blood vessels of the skin, joints, intestines, and kidneys, and is the most common form of vasculitis in children. IgA nephropathy is a kidney disorder where IgA deposits build up in the glomeruli (filtering units of the kidney), leading to inflammation and often resulting in kidney damage over time.
Allison, who lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma with her husband Dalton, had no vasculitis symptoms until November 2022 when she had a severe allergic reaction to a medication she was taking for strep throat. She was in the hospital for three days as doctors worked to calm inflammation in her body.
“My doctors think that this overwhelming immune response is what triggered IgA vasculitis as I broke out in an extensive vasculitis rash and my kidneys started to fail,” she said. “My doctors didn’t know what was causing the inflammation. They couldn’t diagnose me until I had a skin and kidney biopsy about a month later.”
She wasn’t sure what her diagnosis meant for her future.
“After my diagnosis, I didn’t think my body would be able to handle the stress of running,” Allison said. “Now, I’ve shifted my mindset, and I really focus on doing what makes my body feel good and what makes me feel strong.”
Her vasculitis tends to flare when she is stressed or after she’s been sick. The main symptoms she experiences now are blood and excess protein in her urine. Sometimes she breaks out in a vasculitis rash, too.
“I have to balance not overexerting myself while exercising but pushing myself hard enough to see progress,” Allison said. “I also experience joint pain because of vasculitis, so I’ve been focusing a lot on strength and mobility training as well.”
Currently she’s training for a half-marathon at the end of April. If all goes well, her next goal will be to complete a marathon in November.
“I’m giving myself a long time to train ahead of time,” she said. “That way I can take it slow.”
Because Allison was 21 when she was diagnosed, no one could tell her what to expect in terms of complications or how her IgA vasculitis would resolve, because it is much more common in children than adults. That uncertainty and the waiting was difficult for Allison and continues to be a challenge.
“For the first year, we were all waiting to see if my condition would improve or worsen,” she said. “It was a constant unknown,”
She has learned to focus on what she can control — both her mindset and her training. But she still faces many unknowns, especially as a young woman who would like to start a family one day. She thinks about all of her medications and how they will affect her future. One of her medications isn’t safe for women who plan to become pregnant.
Allison, who is a second-year medical student, works to keep a balance about the medications. She knows they are slowing kidney damage, but she also makes sure her reproductive health is being monitored so she can realize her dream of having a family one day.
“My main treatment goal right now is to slow the kidney damage my IgA nephropathy has caused,” she said. “I take colchicine (anti-inflammatory) and lisinopril (a kidney-protective antihypertensive). Lisinopril is the medication that isn’t safe for pregnancy/breastfeeding.”
Allison is also hopeful about new research.
“At my last doctor’s appointment, my nephrologist shared some new studies/medications with me that could be great options in the future,” she said.
She said she is grateful to the doctors who take good care of her and is especially happy when she’s sees information about vasculitis as part of her medical school curriculum.
“It’s cool thinking about all these future doctors being exposed to types of vasculitis,” she said.
She said it also has been important to have a caring partner by her side throughout her journey.
“I’m incredibly grateful for my husband who probably takes my vasculitis more seriously than I do,” she said. “He has been with me through every step of this journey.”
During her toughest times in the hospital or when she was frustrated trying to get a diagnosis, Allison found strength in her favorite Bible verse: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”
That passage has become a reminder to face her struggles with a mindset focused on growth, knowing that this journey can make her stronger both as a person and as a future doctor.
“Having a chronic diagnosis is scary, but we have a choice to embrace it and still make the most of it,” Allison said. “Make your vasculitis a part of your life. Spend time trying new things to learn what makes you feel strong and healthy. It’s worth it.”
