Today I learned that my older sister has been diagnosed with Sarcoidosis after months of living in pain and going through painful surgeries to remove granulomas from her lymph nodes and breast.  I stated at the beginning that I believed that she had Sarcoid from the symptoms that she suffered from identical to mines.  Living in different States it was hard for me to communicate my beliefs to my niece, her eldest daughter, who was in charge of her care.  I expressed my concern to our mother.  My mother informed my niece to ask questions to the doctor.  They thought my sister had cancer and then they believed that all of her pain was in her head.  Finally, she saw a specialist who looked at her as an individual and not a case and stated that his findings suggest that she had Sarcoid.  When he asked her if she had heard of the disease, he was surprised to see how many members of the family are fighting this dis-ease.  Although I am glad that they finally have a diagnosis, I am sad as to what she is going to go through.