Life's little reminders...

I haven't posted anything about my seven year battle with an auto immune disease on our blog. But today I received a phone call from a woman that gave me a new perspective along my seven year path that reminded me how important my support system has been along the way.

Just to give a little history for those reading, and to put some context around how I met this woman who called me today. My senior year at Texas A&M my body started to not allow me to do the things a normal 20-year old would expect to do. After a night on the town my ankles would swell to double their size and it would take me days to recover. I also found myself getting more and more tired, and I was that person in college who could still run hard after 3 hours of sleep. I talked to a doctor in College Station, but he was stumped as to what was going on. Upon graduation, I went to visit a doctor in Dallas, who was the first to think that this was an auto-immune disease. She had an idea from the symptoms, but wouldn't tell me what she thought it was because I was about to go empty my bank account in Europe for 8 weeks. She ran some blood tests and the results came back exactly as she had expected, but recommended that I make an appointment with a rhuematologist in Austin.

At this time I was a month and a half from starting my job in Austin, so I picked a rhuematogolist at random that was on my future medical plan and my parents (who I was covered on). The doctor had a 3 month waiting period for new patients, so I went ahead and booked the appointment for 3 months out (not thinking that it was going to be a problem). I moved to Austin and started my job, but I kept feeling worse and worse. All I had the energy to do was go to work and then come home to sleep. By the time I got to the rhuematologist, with my mom at my side, they admitted me to the hospital that same day. While I was in the hospital they confirmed that it was Lupus, but had no idea what that entailed. It was a scary time and my parents made countless trips up and down 35 to help me take care of myself and be with me through the numerous hospital stays. I couldn't have done it without their help, and I am so thankful for the love and support they continue to provide.

As a strong willed person, I wasn't going to let this thing take control, so I sought out a Lupus support group in Austin. The women in this organization were amazing, and provided tips and tricks on how to live your life while managing this disease. I went to all the meetings, and as I started to feel better I felt that it was my turn to be a mentor to those having a tough time. As I started to get things under control and I met Patrick, I started to not go to the meetings as much. However, I still received the e-mail updates from these ladies, so I was able to keep up to date with the group.

I received an e-mail from the group requesting support for a family, who's daughter had a stroke as a result of a Lupus complication with a blood disorder. I immediately felt the need to go help, and that's when I met Arlene Paris. Her daughter Laura, who I had never met, suffered from a stroke and was in a rehab facility in South Austin. Patrick and I headed down there to meet Arlene and talk to Laura who was in a coma when we met her. Arlene lives in Richmond, and basically set up camp here in Austin to take care of her daughter. We visited Arlene and Laura on many occasions, reading to Laura, bringing dinner to the family, but Laura never recovered and passed away three years ago.

Arlene had done a good job (and I had not) about calling me after Laura died to see how I was feeling, but I had lost touch with her. About 2 weeks ago Arlene called, but I never called her back because I had let life get in the way. Today, Arlene called again, but this time I answered. She wanted to just check in to see how I was feeling, and let me and Patrick know how important we were to her. She mentioned how we had acted as her support group, while she was so far away from family and her support group in Richmond, VA. It's calls like this that remind me how much of a difference you can make in one person's life, just by doing something you feel is normal. It really made me step back and have a little reminder to make the time for those relationships because it's those relationships that will get you through the good and the bad times in your journey through life ...

I know that I don't say it enough, but thank you to my parents, friends, and my wonderful husband Patrick for being my constant support system (and reminding me that I can't do everything)