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Hello,

 My name is Katrina and I have had lupus for almost eight years now well diagnosed ..The doctors think I have had since I was a teenager and they just never found it or look for it.

I am 31 years old, At 25 I became very sick with a kidney infection and was having issues with my arms and legs ..they would go numb and I would lose feeling on a regular bases, so they made me appointment but I never made it before it I ended up in the hospital and which point they told me that I had SLE Lupus...and so I started on steroids for 6 months and gain 20 lbs fast but I lost it after a year.  Then we decide we wanted another child ..I already had two children ,my first had no problems and the second was a lot of problems with me. They told us with the third it would be very high risk and so get ready ..so we planned I was fine and I ended up having premature labor but they were able to stop it  ,,,but our beautiful baby girl was born with my antibodies and had lupus problems for the first 9 months of her life, she didn't clot and she was blind until 9 months old and then she had a heart value disorder which is normal now and she just had her 5th birthday.

After her birth I was back in remission which it was awesome news. Then ten months later I got pregnant again and at 14 weeks ,I lost the baby and it took me out of remission, then ended up getting pregnant again in three months which It put me out of remission. My clotting factors were so bad they wanted me to abort the baby but I was not going to do that ..I am going to whatever it takes. So I started on infusions at 4months along and every week appointments and ultrasounds so I know what My babies face looked like from the beginning but we didn't want to know the sex of the baby. I was doing well then all at once at 6months I got a headache and couldn't sleep for 5days so when I talk to the doctor she had me come in...and with in 20 minutes of the visit I was in ICU being treated for a enlarged heart and then they found out I had brain swallowing and all my organs were starting to shut down but the baby was doing awesome ..she they said I was there until I had there so 42 days in ICU  things were hit and miss ..I had good and bad days ..lots of pain meds and lots of family support and the hospital was amazing ..people from different floors came by just to say hi because they had my story and how positive and happy I was...I had a sign on my door that said only smile when you walk in or don't come in...I had to life was just way to hard not to make something good out of this nightmare I was living. At 42 days my baby was 9 weeks premature they induced me because they didn't' think I was going to make it anymore .Natalie Grace was born at 5lb 3oz 17 inches which that's a fat premiere ...she was so beautiful. I had a lot of complaints which didn't surprise anyone ...they don't know how I made it throw but I did and I got to leave the hospital after a week and she stayed for 39 long days. After two weeks I started Chemo to help with the swallowing of my brain and high steroid infusions and high doses of steroids which in 6 months I gained 156 pounds and ended up in a wheelchair and compassion fuctuces and very high blood pressure and very high sugars and blood clots ,heart attacks and all my organs trying to stop working at some point. I was very positive during even my darkest days. The doctors keep telling my family that they don't know how I am still doing it and how I am still making but I was going to be in remission if it was the last thing I did. Well a year and half went by and I was still very ill and not walking at all and home bound except for twice a week trips to the doctors which were very hard on me and my body ...but I had to get out. Then they gave me surgery for my back and then I ended up in a diabetic coma and that was my turn around they told my family they didn't feel I would come out of it because I had so much damage on my lungs from the blood clots that it would be days before I would be in heaven well instead they all song me happy birthday on my 30 which was three days later ...I was a miracle the said. no it was my plan and still is to prove them all wrong and now I have been in remission for a year and a half and walk and working and lost 156 lbs and going to the gym 4-5 days a week taking care of my four beautiful children .. now the baby just had her third birthday...now as a single mom...my ex hubby did well until the end and then it was way to much but he will always be my friend and I still thank him for being there when no one would. I live One day ,One hour, One minute ,One second at a time with pure joy and as if it was my last!

Thank you Katrina