Mary C. - Diagnosed at age 42

My name is Mary. I was diagnosed with lupus in 2011. At first it was really hard for me to accept. I have been a caretaker for 30 years. I realized I had failed myself by putting others’ health before my own. Now that my health is slowly falling it's hard to get the help I really need. I have been denied social security due to the wording in my paper work. Now there's more things wrong with my body. I'm not able to work like I used to. My passion is to care for others. I have lost so much, everything I own due to my illness. I felt like I was all alone, and no one understood my situation even though I was surrounded by love from family. Yet the loss of things I own brought a sickness of despair as well as learning that the sickness I have has no cure. I started to go within myself to pull on strength I didn't think I had. So, it led me to be a motivational speaker and a writer to encourage others as well as myself.

There’s strength within us that will allow anything we endure we can conquer though we must keep going no matter how hard the fight. We owe it to ourselves.

It all started as twinges in the eyes and muscle spasms but gradually worsened to pains similar to an electric shock in the body along with muscle spasms that do not let me walk. The doctor told me that they were seizures or a type of seizure that inflamed my brain. So I have to rehabilitate certain issues such as speech, memory, etc. It has been difficult but I will never give up.