Lupus is an autoimmune disease that attacks muscles and nerves.

Lupus was something I knew all too well because my mom was a victim of it. She was diagnosed with Lupus the summer before my Freshman year of high school. After finding out, she was distraught. None of us knew what to expect. The list of side effects seemed to be endless. The only thing we knew for sure was that this was an incurable disease.

A couple of months after the diagnosis, my mom began to feel a weird feeling in her left leg, but she thought it was nothing. Another month went by, she stated that the feeling was getting worse. I told her to get it checked out. She went for a Neurologist consult to figure out what was going on. Unfortunately, the doctor said that there was nothing that could be done to reverse the feeling. Another month went by, her leg was only getting worse. Her walking became more limited. The flare-ups happened more and more often. Before I knew it, I was carrying my mother around. Shortly after this, she became wheelchair bound. I knew that this was not what she wanted.

My mom did everything to continue with her life as normally as possible. Even in her non-walking days, she still managed to come out and watch me play baseball. People constantly made fun of her disability, it would get me livid every time. I don’t know how people could be so ignorant.

Unfortunately, three years ago, my mom had lost her battle with Lupus. Even after she passed away, people were still ignorant. I mentioned that she died of Lupus. Many people didn't believe me. YOU CAN DIE FROM LUPUS! Life with someone who suffered from Lupus was not easy. I made a lot of sacrifices to ensure my mom's final months would be as comfortable for her as possible.