In honor of Brenda G.

My wife Brenda, or simply Bege, was diagnosed with lupus several years ago while still flying for Delta Airlines. She retired from Delta around 2006 and is the most beautiful, loving, elegant, gracious, gifted, and independent lady I have ever known, and it is an honor to be her husband.

She tells me, "I have lupus, but it does not have me", which is a testament to her character and inner strength to meet her own performance objectives daily. There are days when she needs to sleep 10+ hours just to make it through the day with normal activity. However, she is more than normal, she is the Ever-Ready Bunny on 42 steroids: her motor goes all day and into the night most days.

What lupus does to her, is that it depletes her energy, weakens her immune system so that she is abnormally at a high risk of a cold, flu, and a series of serious respiratory illnesses that all can confine her to bed, posing a high risk of serious health risks. At times when she does get amped up, lupus produces her version of the butterfly rash around her eyes and cheeks. And, she is plagued by excoriating spasms which can cripple her in a second. Yet, she has this remarkable drive and ability to bounce back and move on with her daily goals that are more than amazing.

To say she is beautiful does not do her justice: she has a natural beauty and blue eyes that are mesmerizing. She is 5’4” but stands 6’: she has the heart of a lion in the face of adversity. She is my wife, partner, best friend, and role model. For those struggling with lupus, our message is this: “never give up, never give in, and never lose sight of your goals”.