In my 11th year of living with lupus, I am excited to join my fellow lupus warriors, caregivers, and supporters for the Lupus Foundation of America’s Walk to End Lupus Now in San Francisco on Sunday, October 27th. I hope that you will join me either by lacing up your sneakers or by donating to my fundraising page!
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2024, the year I ✨finally ✨ became a mama! And what a journey it was to finally get here..
A few years ago, I made the difficult decision to put a hold on my career to better manage my stress levels as it directly correlates to the intensity of my lupus flares. Little did I know that I would experience the worst lupus flare I’ve ever had which ended up attacking my kidneys, heart, and lungs. I was extremely fatigued, had major brain fog, trouble sleeping/breathing, chest pain, rashes all over my body that hurt so bad I could barely touch things or walk, mouth sores that made it difficult to eat, hair loss, hypertension, and severe edema. What I thought would be an easy urgent care visit resulted in being sent to the ER, an 8 day hospital stay, a diagnosis of class IV lupus nephritis, and being told by my rheumatologist, nephrologist, and MFM (high risk pregnancy doctor) that my kidneys are never going to be strong enough to handle pregnancy.. So, in order to have children that are biologically ours, we had to pursue IVF and find a gestational surrogate to carry for us.
Having already spent many years trying to wean myself off of other drugs to manage my lupus flares in preparation for pregnancy, the new diagnosis and inability to carry my own child completely changed how we imagined starting our family and is another loss I will continue to grieve because of lupus.
I am extremely grateful for my support system and the advances in science and medicine that made it possible for me to have and hold my little girl. Nothing comes easy for those with lupus, and I hope you can help make a difference by donating to help me reach my personal fundraising goal and support the Foundation's efforts to improve the quality of life for all people affected by lupus! A generous contribution of $25 or $55 can make a definite impact. What’s more, you may be able to double your contribution with just a little bit of paperwork, if your employer offers a Matching Gift Program to employees. Trust me, it’s worth the effort! Every single dollar counts.
Did you know?
- Lupus is a mysterious and misunderstood autoimmune disease. It strikes without warning, affects each person differently, and has no known causes or cure.
- Lupus symptoms can be severe and highly unpredictable and can damage any organ or tissue, from the skin or joints to the heart or kidneys.
- While lupus can strike anyone at any time, 90% of people living with lupus are women. Women of color are at especially high risk.
- 1 in 4 people living with lupus are either temporarily or permanently disabled by the disease, and only 31% of adults are employed full-time.
- Lupus is hard to diagnose, but the Lupus Foundation of America is working to make life easier and more comfortable for the estimated 1.5 million people living with lupus in the United States.
