Chloe V. - Diagnosed Age 8

My name is Chloe and I’m from the Philippines. I was diagnosed with lupus when I was 8 years old way back in 2012. Before I was diagnosed, I had suffered from fever, mumps and urinary tract infection. I was young back then, so I thought that it was normal for a child like me. But it lasted for a few weeks and my mother insisted I go to the doctor. Then, the doctor told us that I have lupus nephritis. I was only given 5 years to live but I never lose hope. I didn’t know what to say because I never heard of that kind of disease and how it affects a person's body. Days or weeks later, my blood pressure went high and I was confined in the hospital. I even needed to undergo a biopsy for my kidney that cost a lot of money.

My mother is a single mother and an Overseas Filipino Worker or OFW in Kuala Lumpur while my father left us when I was still a baby and still hadn't met him until now. It was really hard for me to have this kind of disease as well as for my mother who is responsible for paying the bills.

Now that I’m 14 turning 15 this April, I suffer from depression and stress from everything. Lupus has a huge impact on my daily life. I get tired easily and I’m not allowed to expose myself under the sun so I haven't been able to join any sports or any physical activities. I can't breathe sometimes whenever I get myself stressed or tired and I even experienced the thing they call lupus flares. I wanted to tell my story because no matter what happens, we need to fight our disease and overcome it and to inspire other fellow people who have lupus. To help each one of us overcome our fear. I still want to have a bright future ahead so I’m still hoping that there's a cure for this illness. My family and The Creator above is my only hope. For Luke 1:37 says "For with God nothing shall be impossible."