Krystabel D. - Diagnosed at age 23

It all started in 2010 when I had this butterfly rash that grew visible by the day. I didn't really think it was anything serious because I didn't feel any form of pain. I just recalled being thirsty all the time, tired, and had low energy during the time.

The malar rash faded away and my immune system stabilized. I still continued to smoke, drink, had lots of late nights in my hometown, and partied often with friends, not really caring about the consequences of my health at the time.

Then maybe three years later, I had another attack where this time, it was a foreign experience to me. It was painful and it felt as if something in my body was attacking my tissues, I don't know how to describe the event but I felt physical pain. I had about two more attacks after that and a seizure once. It was just my immune system going wonky on me and flaring up.

I still continued my bad habits despite all that my body had undergone, and then in came the last flare, which was a silent killer. I experienced extreme fatigue, I felt lost and confused, my eyesight was blurry to the point I couldn't drive anymore, and my left side was getting really heavy. I felt my coordination and motor skills were somewhat slowly being affected. This was four years ago, and I remember I was going through depression and unsure of how to feel or think, felt low in energy and spirit, and felt exhausted the whole time. The doctors said it was considered a severe attack and that I had experienced a mild stroke, my blood coagulated, and my kidneys were flushing out protein.

Today, I can say I am more or less in remission, my kidney is performing relatively well, close to normal but I am still taking daily medication. I do feel a lot stronger, but at the same time, I am still carrying the weight and left to live with the consequences of the stroke and it hasn't subsided at all. My vision is still weak and not any better, my coordination is affected badly, and my motor skills are off. If there is a way out of this, I would take it.