Emmanuel H. - Diagnosed at age 25

My name is Emmanuel and I’m 29 years old. My mother had lupus and she passed away six years ago. At my peak of adulthood, I found out that I also had lupus. One night at the airport while I was working, it just became extremely hard for me to breathe. I was driving a cart full of bags, and I had to pull over. This sharp pain started to stab me right in my chest. An employee saw me and called the ambulance, and I was carried out on a stretcher.

Once I got to the emergency room (ER), they swore up and down that I was a smoker and that’s why I was having pain, even though I told them I don't drink or smoke. They discharged me with a prescription of drugs. I stayed home for a week having deep and bad chest pain. It just would not ease. I went back to the ER, and they told me the same thing, they didn't see anything going on and sent me home once again.

While at home, my feet, hands, and neck started to swell badly. The pain was too much to bear. I was rushed back to the ER. They told me they could not find anything and sent me home once again. With no clear understanding and bills piling up, I decided to wrap my body up with bandages and go back to work. Thirty minutes into my shift my joints started to kill me, I left work early and went straight to the hospital. After feeling the chest pain and the body aches for a whole year with no understanding of what was going on, I was finally able to see a specialist. I was diagnosed with lupus October 2018, and It’s been an uphill battle for me, my wife, and kids since then.