The latest installment of Patient Voices focuses on scleroderma, an autoimmune disease that can lead to hardening and tightening of the skin and connective tissues. The symptoms and severity of scleroderma can vary, making it difficult to accomplish everyday tasks or, in some cases, threatening vital organs.

Listen to the stories of scleroderma collected by producer Karen Barrow, which include a basketball player who began developing ulcers on his fingers, a mother whose hands were frozen by the disease, and a mailman who, after losing his range of motion, decided to use his illness as an opportunity to get a college degree and spend more time with his sons.