My Lupus Experience Through My Sister's Death

This is an article I never wanted to write with Lupus as a focus. Lupus is something I grew up with through my sister. In my sister's death through lupus, I learned 3 things.

What is Lupus

My sister was 17 years older than me and had Lupus as long as I knew her. Lupus is an autoimmune disorder that affects joints and many other body parts. Lupus tends to impact many people in different ways. I remember growing up and always hearing my mother say "You know your sister has Lupus, so check up on her." I never understood what lupus was because when I looked at her she appeared fine. On the surface, I saw no outward signs of lupus. I saw nothing but her walking slow and speaking of pain. I later learned that Lupus gave her arthritis and made her joint swell on a regular basis.

Who Lupus Impacts

Growing up I only knew of my sister having Lupus. I ran into one other woman that had Lupus. She was the soon to be spouse of a friend of mine. This good friend of mine had a wife whom suffered with Lupus. She had discoloration on her skin which was much more of an outward Lupus sign. As a result of Lupus, she was in the hospital for months and unable to work for roughly a year. I was surprised that it was the same disorder that my sister had. Because of my friend's wife, I discovered how lupus disproportionately impacted African American women. Lupus impacts others but I personally only have seen women of color suffer from this disorder.

How Did My Sister Die From Lupus

Since Lupus is not a direct killer, you might wonder how one can die from Lupus. Well in my sister case, it was the life long struggle. You see as long as I knew my sister she struggled with Lupus. She suffered from Lupus even when I was young. With Lupus, she was in an out of the hospital for 30 years.

Every time my sister went into the hospital, my family treated it like she was on her death bed. My sister would struggle with Lupus, recover and get back to normal. Normal however became weaker and weaker each time. Through Lupus, my sisters Lungs, heart, and skin were all impacted. In the end, my sister died from pneumonia. But the reality is her immune system was weak as a result of her constant vigilant fight with Lupus. To fight both battles became too much for her body. My sister at the age of 51 lost her battle to pneumonia as a result of lupus.

I wish I had a scriptural text that made this Lupus issue wrap up nice with a bow. I don't. I know this holiday season and everyone thereafter my sister will be missed. Through my sister, I have learned to appreciate the struggles' of others. Even when Lupus didn't appear to impact her it did. I know from lupus that you cannot judge by looks alone the challenges of other. I value every day and pray for my family friends and all those living with Lupus.