I have lupus. Lupus awareness matters to me. But if you don't have lupus, why should it matter to you?
If you would like to help spread the word, check out the Lupus Foundation of America's website for a list of ideas.
Lupus can take years (even decades) to diagnose. The period of waiting can be extremely painful and discouraging. The more we learn about lupus, the more efficiently the doctors will be able to correctly diagnose it, the more we can help those who suffer from it, and the closer we will be to finding a cure.
I didn't realize there was something seriously wrong with me until a few months prior to being diagnosed. Looking back, I had numerous warning signs for years: joint pain, extreme sensitivity to the sun, severe skin problems, fatigue... I had no idea there was an underlying cause for all of this. And lupus was nowhere on my radar. How I wish I would have known that my stressful lifestyle was making it worse, that exercising more wouldn't make me more energetic, that rest and "sleeping it off" wasn't enough to ease my pain. How I wish someone would have seen the signs and suggested that I get tested. How I wish I wouldn't have waited to get tested until I was in so much pain that I couldn't walk on my own and I lost a third of my hair. How I wish my husband and I weren't absolutely clueless when the diagnosis came. If only I had known.
Don't get me wrong. As hard as my life is, I do love it. I am blessed to still be able to work and pursue my dreams. But there are many people with lupus who are hurting in a different way. There are many who are angry, lonely, and in need of hope.
I didn't realize there was something seriously wrong with me until a few months prior to being diagnosed. Looking back, I had numerous warning signs for years: joint pain, extreme sensitivity to the sun, severe skin problems, fatigue... I had no idea there was an underlying cause for all of this. And lupus was nowhere on my radar. How I wish I would have known that my stressful lifestyle was making it worse, that exercising more wouldn't make me more energetic, that rest and "sleeping it off" wasn't enough to ease my pain. How I wish someone would have seen the signs and suggested that I get tested. How I wish I wouldn't have waited to get tested until I was in so much pain that I couldn't walk on my own and I lost a third of my hair. How I wish my husband and I weren't absolutely clueless when the diagnosis came. If only I had known.
Don't get me wrong. As hard as my life is, I do love it. I am blessed to still be able to work and pursue my dreams. But there are many people with lupus who are hurting in a different way. There are many who are angry, lonely, and in need of hope.
You never know what may happen to you or someone you love. You never know who you may encounter. You never know what kind of opportunities you will have to be a light and help others.
This is why lupus awareness matters.
This is why lupus awareness matters.
If you would like to help spread the word, check out the Lupus Foundation of America's website for a list of ideas.
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