Sofia M. – Diagnosed at age 27

In 1990 I was 20 years old and was diagnosed with psoriasis. In 1997 my doctor wanted to do UV light therapy, but they needed to do blood and urine tests before the therapy. When the result came back, they notice my protein and creatinine levels were high. So they saw all the signs of lupus. I had the butterfly rash, swelling in my legs, loss of hair, joint pain, and weight loss. In order to know for sure, though, they had to do a kidney biopsy before they decided to diagnose me.

I was diagnosed in March 1997. They told me people with SLE Lupus do not live for more than 20 to 30 years. I was devastated by the way they told me. I thought my life was over. But as years passed by, I learned more about SLE Lupus. Other renal specialists took the time to educate me and other lupus patients, as I was not the only one in my family that has lupus. My older sibling has it, and my late niece that had it passed away 5 years ago.

In September 2011, I had to start dialysis right away. For 7 years I did peritoneal dialysis until September 11, 2018, when I received my kidney transplant. Everything went well with the help of great doctors and staff members at the hospital.

I live day by day. There are things that I am dealing with in my health because of my rheumatoid arthritis and osteopenia. Life for me is not easy. There are days I hurt and there are days that I’m ok. But that does not mean I give up. I have my life with my family and my friends to keep me going.