I am so excited to be participating in the Walk to End Lupus Now event in San Diego this year! Please join Francisco's Fighters Saturday October 5, 2024 at Waterfront Park!

My Story

In June 2020, when the country was dealing with one of the most challenging and unusual times, I began fighting my own battle, ultimately leading to my lupus diagnosis. I remember waking up one day with strange aches and pains throughout my body that quickly worsened, making it nearly impossible for me to move without assistance. Eventually, it got to the point that I couldn't lie down, or do much of anything, because I was having difficulty breathing. Soon after these episodes, I was admitted to the hospital for what they thought was a bad case of pneumonia. Imagining tests were conducted on my chest and they discovered several mL of fluid had collected around my heart and left lung. Two days later, doctors drained the fluid and the care team, along with the cardiologist, felt I was well enough to leave the hospital two days after the procedure but unfortunately, the fluid came reaccumulated.

Four days later, I was back in the hospital with reaccumulating fluid around my heart and left lung and had to undergo a procedure known as a pericardial window. When I woke up from the procedure, I was in the ICU with two tubes coming out of my chest connected to a pump that ran around the clock to remove the fluid from around my heart and my left lung. Although the primary concern at the time was my heart and lungs, my kidneys quickly became a concern when blood work and severe leg swelling indicated acute kidney failure. Thankfully, the procedure was successful, and the tubes were removed a few days after. My kidneys were then being monitored intensely and once function began improving, I was released from the hospital.

I was able to recover during the days that followed, and I was assigned to work with a nephrologist (kidney specialist) and a rheumatologist. September 1, 2020, doctors conducted a kidney biopsy that finally provided a conclusive diagnosis: class IV and class V lupus nephritis. Unfortunately, my diagnosis indicates that I have one of the more aggressive classes of lupus nephritis and being a male increases the severity of my disease.

If being diagnosed with lupus was not bad enough, I was back in the hospital within a few days after receiving my diagnosis again with difficulty breathing and I was suffering from tachycardia and atrial fibrillation. Once again, I was admitted and two days later, my heart rate spiked. Within seconds of this happening, I was surrounded by a medical team and immediately hooked up to a crash cart and given IV meds to slow down my heart rate. Fortunately, doctors were able to stabilize me and I was released about a week later and prescribed a high dose of steroids and Cytoxan, a chemotherapy drug used at a lower dose than cancer to help stop what lupus was doing to my body.

The last 4 years living with lupus have been very difficult to say the least. I was a former collegiate and professional athlete, aspiring to work in the field of strength and conditioning, now I'm someone whose life was turned upside down and still trying to find right side up. Due to the instability of my health, I have had to part ways with different employers because I can no longer manage the day to day stress and pain caused by my illness. I have had to battle with PTSD from medical trauma and deal with bouts of depression. I have not been able to do the things I love to do such as lifting weights, playing golf, or other activities that tax my endurance, or require me to be exposed to the heat for too long. I also can no longer spend too much time in the sun because that also affects my overall health. Also, I am starting to feel the effects of some of my treatment as steroids have taken a toll on some of my joints and tendons in the form of mild osteoarthritis and torn tendons. My struggle is daily, however, I continue to adapt to my situation.

I battle lupus and the effects of this illness every day. While I am constantly worrying about my health, I will never stop fighting this battle and what keeps me going is the support of family and friends. I hope you can join me in this year’s Walk to End Lupus Now.

Thank you for all of your love, strength, encouragement, and support,

Francisco