Scleroderma is a chronic disease which affects the circulatory system, connective tissue and immune system.

The dominant symptom of the disease is a hardening of the skin, especially in the face, arms and hands.

Though not usually fatal, many people who suffer from the disease experience excessive fatigue, muscle weakness and loss of hair and weight. It affects about one in 1,000 people.

For some people, the fatigue and the hardening of the skin in the fingers mean an inability to do many day-to-day things which most people take for granted.

For Whitehorse musician Nicole Edwards, it means not being able to do some of the things she loves most.

'Fatigue prevents me from working, performing and doing daily life things,' says Edwards. 'I have to rest a lot in order to do things.'

Edwards moved to the Yukon from Ontario eight years ago. She instantly fell in love with the territory.

'I was interested in the North for a long while. I had a friend who I came to see, and I decided to stay.'

Like so many people who come from the east, Edwards has been here ever since.

'I love the Yukon. It's beautiful and there are good people here. There's so much creativity and tons of support for the arts.'

At the time, she played in a band called The Gathering.

Then, in 2001, she released a solo album entitled On With My Day. The album, which has strong blues, rock and folk overtones, was hugely popular throughout the territory. Later that year, Edwards went on to perform at the West Coast Music Awards.

'The Yukon has been amazing at nurturing me as a musician,' says Edwards. 'In Toronto, I was a small fish in a big pond.'

Now 34, Edwards is faced with the challenge of dealing with chronic, debilitating illness.

'I can't play guitar very well,' says Edwards. 'And because of numbness in my mouth and lips, I can no longer play flute.'

Edwards was first diagnosed with the illness in 2001. An early symptom was that she couldn't feel her guitar pick while playing. Though the onset was gradual, it increasingly led to her playing less and less because of the numbness and stiffness in her fingers.

Two years ago, Edwards was forced to give up her career as the executive director of BYTE, or Bringing Youth Towards Equality, a community youth organization. In August 2003, she played her last gig.

Edwards is not giving up. This month, she's fighting back against scleroderma with the release of her second album, a five-track EP called Joy Seeker.

Though she is unable to play instruments, her vocals were recorded over the winter from a long series of short sessions.

Backing the vocals is the fine work of a dozen local musicians, without whose help the album could never have been possible.

They include David Sinclair, Bob Johnstone, Ivan Zenovitch, Carlo Felice, Charles Hegsted, Annie Avery, Paul Stephens, Jay Burr, Barbara Chamberlain, Cory Choinard, Don Bishop and Duncan Sinclair.

Edwards is best described as an R&B artist. Her second album is an intense mix of styles, of genuine emotion heavily influenced by rock and blues.

In the cover song, Edwards sings: 'I've got this life to live, and I will not be bitter, I don't know what lies ahead, so I will be a joy seeker.'

June is Scleroderma Month, and Edwards has made the effort to release her CD now in order to raise awareness of the disease.

'Putting it out during Sclereoderma Month is like coming out for me,' says Edwards.

'This is something that a life crisis teaches you, to value your relationships with people,' she says. 'Music has given me a tool to process living with a chronic illness.'

'I don't want this to be a sad story,' says Edwards. 'The Yukon is a wonderful place to be. I've got a good quality of life; it's just different from before.

'Now I'm focusing on things I can do at home. It's a goal of mine to be able to sing again in the future. I take it day by day. I have a lot of love and support in my life.'

Joy Seeker is available at Aroma Borealis, Rose Music, BYTE, l'Association Franco-Yukonaise, Midnight Sun Coffee Roasters, the Great Canadian Dollar Store and Music Yukon.