Dear Lupus,
You have taken a lot from me.
You took away the freedom to simply wake up and move through life without thinking twice. You turned ordinary things — getting out of bed, making plans, working a normal job, walking freely, breathing easily — into daily battles.
You introduced pain, fatigue, brain fog, fear, frustration, isolation, walkers, oxygen, medications, hospital visits, and uncertainty into my life.
You changed my body.
You changed my future.
You changed the way I see the world.
There were moments when I felt like I was losing pieces of myself. Moments where I grieved the life I thought I would have. Moments where I questioned how much more my body and spirit could take.
But here is what you failed to do:
You never took my heart.
You never took my voice.
And you never took my purpose.
Because of you, I discovered strength I never knew I had. I learned how to keep fighting even on the days when simply surviving felt exhausting. I learned patience, resilience, compassion, and the importance of giving myself grace.
I learned that true strength is not pretending to be okay — it is continuing forward despite pain, fear, and uncertainty.
You forced me to slow down, but you also opened my eyes.
You showed me how precious health, peace, support, and understanding truly are. You taught me to appreciate the good days differently.
You taught me how to advocate not only for myself, but for every person living with invisible illness who feels unseen or misunderstood.
And through Colors of Lupus Nevada, I turned my pain into purpose.
Every awareness event, support group, educational campaign, and conversation became proof that my story was meant for something bigger than suffering.
What you tried to use to weaken me became the very thing that helped me uplift others.
So this is my message to you:
I will continue hoping.
I will continue fighting.
I will continue advocating.
I will continue living.
Even when my body feels tired, my spirit will not quit.
You may always be a part of my life, but you will never define who I am.
I am more than this diagnosis. I am more than my flares, medications, scars, limitations, walkers, or oxygen tanks.
I am resilient.
I am purposeful.
I am a Butterfly Warrior.
And no matter how difficult this journey becomes, I will continue using my voice to fight for awareness, better treatments, understanding, and one day — a cure.
Because while lupus changed my life forever, it also revealed the strength within me that nothing — not even this disease — can take away. 💜