Name:  Gladys Ijelu           
Address: 362 East Rimini Court           
City:   Palatine           

What type of lupus do you have?
Systemic Lupus

I was diagnosed with Lupus 3 years ago, in the year of 2005 and the month of December.
After going to several doctors and getting different opinions, It took the doctors about a year to diagnose me.
At first I was misdiagnosed by most of the doctors that I saw, they told me that it was just Arthritis and since it runs in my family, I thought it was that as well. My life has changed tremendously for both the better and the worst. I was just a sixteen year old teenager when I found out, so It emotionally and physically affected me. While all my friends were enjoying there junior year in school, I was enclosed to a hospital bed for five months. Some times I used to doubt my faith in God and wonder why it happened to me, but everything happens for a reason and I am just thankful to still be alive.
It has affected my family because not only do I have Lupus, but my older sister has it as well. Her case isn’t as severe as mine, because she found out earlier enough and she started to treat her condition right away. As for me, by the time I figured out I had Lupus, my body had already been affected. My family and I are trying our best to move on with life and just count our blessings, because you never know what can happened. I try my best to not get in detail with all my friends because some people just don’t have an understanding on my condition and I really don’t want people to have sympathy for me, just because I have Lupus. Only a couple of my good friends know how in depth and serious my condition is.

In the beginning it really affected my life, because Lupus is a fairly new disease and not that many people know about it. In my case, I am fortunate because my sister has it and we can relate with each other. My goal now is to change that and try my best to become a representative for the Lupus Foundation and let Lupus be known to the world.
I am currently unemployed, but all my previous managers understood and they were very understanding towards my condition. For instance, when I was in the hospital for five months, my manager and co- workers sent me cards and other things to help me feel better while I was there. It was nice to know that people cared about me and that they missed having me around at work.
 
I would love for people to know how serious it can be if you are not treating it, and also that it is possible to move on with life. Some people say, “You’re such a cheerful and happy person, I would never expect you to have Lupus.” I always laugh at that because just because you have a disease, it doesn’t make you any different and you should be able to live your life just as a person with no disease can.
I feel my condition is just a phase and God is testing me to see whether or not I can overcome it and I feel as do I have already. The biggest obstacle for me was accepting that I had Lupus, and ever since I accepted it, my life has been so much better. From being on life support to having a life threatening allergic reaction episode in the hospital, I’ve been through it all and I feel that the devil will never prevail in me. With the help pf the Lord, my family, friends, and my doctors, I’m here to stay and I don’t plan on going anywhere any time soon. I am looking forward to starting my own team for the Walk for Lupus event and raise some money to help with the awareness of Lupus.