14th Annual Flight of the Butterflies- Butterflies of Hope Lupus Warrior Stories is a powerful celebration of strength, survival, and spirit. Through the eyes and hearts of lupus warriors, we share stories that often go unseen. Stories of pain, resilience, and triumph! These butterflies may have been battered by the storm, but they continue to rise, wings open, ready to soar.
At Lupus In Color, we honor each journey as a flight of courage and beauty, reminding the world that even in the midst of lupus, warriors still fly.
Flight of the Butterflies
Lupus Warrior Tamara Lipscomb
I was diagnosed with lupus in 2022. I lived an active life before lupus. I did a half-marathon, sky diving, and morning runs by the beach. I attended events/dinners with friends. But then the pandemic hit. Lupus followed, and all of that changed.
Letting go of the life before the diagnosis has been the hardest thing for me. I enjoyed this active lifestyle and tried to do the same things until my body refused.
Suddenly, I was too tired to get out of the bed and could sleep for days. I could barely function at work, and canceled all the events I signed up for. Doing simple tasks like eating and bathing was so much work (that if my parents were not there) I would skip all together. Chewing took so much effort.
Later I would learn this overwhelming feeling was called a flare. The more I tried to ignore and act normal, the amount of flares increased throughout the week which started to send me to the hospital. At first, the doctors did not know what was wrong. But finally after several hospital stays, I was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease lupus.
I was depressed and lonely at the time of my diagnosis because I didn’t know anyone that had a Chronic Illness and not many people understood what I was going through. Not to mention, it was the end of the pandemic so it was difficult to find local organizations that were active. My mom was worried because I went through a stage that I stopped going outside the house (unless it was a visit to my Rhuemy).
Documenting and habit tracking made me more self aware of symptoms and allowed me to better advocate for myself at my doctor’s appointments. I finally was able to thrive with my illness.
I would want newly diagnosed individuals to know that lupus is just a comma, not a period. Be open to the next chapter in your health journey because the best is yet to come.
Lupus In Color Salutes you!
YOU ARE BRAVE, COURAGEOUS, AMAZING and STRONG TO SHARE YOUR STORY.
YOUR BUTTERFLY WINGS ARE FLUTTERING, YOUR CHIN IS UP, YOUR ARMS ARE EXTENDED AND YOUR CHEST IS OUT! FLY ON BUTTERFLY!
FLY ON!
PLEASE SHARE THIS FLIGHT ON YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA AND START THE BUTTERFLY JOURNEY SPREADING LUPUS AWARENESS!
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