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"I really didn't think she was that bad off."

As the doctor spoke to me, all the while looking down at his clipboard, I realized he did not know he was speaking to a child. I did not know he didn't realize I loved my mom. I didn't know that he, and so many other doctors', just didn't know a lot about Lupus.

As I stood standing looking at this man who was releasing my mom's valuables to me, I was numb inside. 7 weeks shy of my 19th birthday, standing in the hospital's corridor wondering if it were all a dream. After all, she always came back from the hospital. Since I was ten years old I saw my mom whisked out of our home in an ambulance, forever connected to an oxygen tank, struggling to breathe and, through it all, finding a way to smile and encourage us. But she ALWAYS came back!!

This page is dedicated to her and her immeasurable spirit. And even though I write this through a stream of tears, I rejoice inside knowing that she forever lives in me.
Along with her memory I honor my grandmother, Bernice. Lupus took her when my mom was just 15. And then there's my cousin Dee Dee. A spirit so dynamic she was at a concert days before she left us. "I need time with y'all now" is what she would say when we fused about her resting.
The strength of these women inspires me. Therefore I cannot allow their lives to have been in vain.

I hate Lupus. I have hated it for a very long time. And now that I have allowed myself to say that out loud, it is time to stop sitting around festering with anger and hatred about something I can help fight.

Please join me as I assist the Lupus Foundation of America in helping us keep our moms, dads, sisters, brothers, cousins, aunts, uncles and friends healthy, informed and encouraged. Most importantly, let's help with the research that will educate our doctor's to be better informed about this disease

Thank you.