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 Nicole Sorzano
From Pain to Power:
A Sister’s Tribute to a Lupus Warrior
I’ve watched her fight.
Not just the kind of fight that makes headlines, but the quiet kind—the daily war
against pain, fatigue, and medical dismissal. I’ve seen her curled over in pain so deep it stole her voice. I’ve listened as she questioned her own body, her own worth,after years of misdiagnoses and the kind of suffering that can make you forget who you used to be.
And still, she showed up. For her family. For her friends. For herself.
There was a time when sitting for more than four hours was unthinkable. Her body would seize, her breath would shorten, her joints would scream. There was no peace—not in movement, not in stillness. And yet she pressed forward, piecing together her healing in a world that rarely makes space for Black women in pain.
She did the work. Slowly. Faithfully. Even when the system failed her, she became her own best advocate. She learned her body’s language, sought out what Western medicine wouldn’t always offer, and created a path to wellness that is hers alone.
Today, I see her differently—not as someone defined by Lupus, but as someone who has transformed what seemed like a life sentence into a testimony. She can sit now. She can be present without flinching. She’s rebuilding her strength, reclaiming her joy, and redefining what thriving looks like.
This journey hasn’t been linear. It hasn’t been fair. But it has been powerful. And witnessing her healing has been one of the deepest honors of my life.
To the Lupus Foundation and the broader community—know this: healing doesn’t always look like a cure. Sometimes, it looks like endurance. Sometimes, it looks like sisterhood. And sometimes, it looks like being able to sit—just sit—in peace, after years of pain.
She is the story. And I am proud to tell it.
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!
#lupusincolor #flightofthebutterflies #lupuswarriors #butterfliesofhope
