I was diagnosed with Lupus at the age of 25. In addition to bouts of joint pain, I suffer from Lupus Nephritis(kidney disease) and damage to my esophagus. Despite these limitations, I enjoy serving abroad with medical ministries, ballroom dancing, singing with church groups and spending time with my six nieces and nephews. I also work full-time as a bilingual paralegal at a  Law Firm specializing in Worker's Compensation and Social Security Disability cases.

Some of my greatest challenges in living with Lupus are accepting the unpredictable nature of the disease. I've had symptoms to appear and fortunately disappear without much rhyme or reason; adjusting my diet(chocolate is off limits for me right now) and managing my medications,( I currently take about twelve medications a day, many of those more than once during the day!) My favorite form of alternative medicine is massage therapy.

Living with Lupus has given me a deeper appreciation of my life's many blessings and helped me to become more grounded in my faith. I am learning to recognize and respect my limits and to nuture myself and those I love, and to be more genuine with others. Being a Lupus Survivor has made me more aware of the fact that God has a purpose for my life and my suffering is not in vain. I am more aware of life's uncertainty, which adds clarity to my life and my desire to live more fully. I'm discovering that God has given me strength to endure, and put me in this unique position so that I may be a blessing to others. It is my joy to share my story and use my talents to promote awareness about Lupus, advocate for improvement of healthcare in our nation and support the search for a cure. In perservering to live fully as a Lupus Survivor, I hope to also improve the lives of oters living with this chronic illness.