2009: The Year For Lupus

For all intents and purposes, 2009 seems to have been the year for lupus. There have been a lot of happenings surrounding the disease.

MJ – With the sudden and tragic passing of Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, questions surfaced about whether the singer suffered from lupus. I’m no medical expert, but based on what I’ve heard, I think that there’s a good possibility that he did have the disease. Keeping with this theme, I channeled my inner Michael, and went as him for Halloween (see pictures at beginning and end of this post).

“Lucy” – Julian Lennon and James Cook introduced the song, “Lucy,” which paid homage to the Lucy from the song, “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds.” Lucy Vodden died of complications from lupus in September, at the age of 46.

What strikes me about this song is the fact that it’s about Lucy and her girlfriends. I think that, especially for women with lupus, this is empowering. It’s like, despite her illness, she was stilled loved.

I think that’s something that I forget sometimes. Sometimes I feel incredibly alone, like I have no one. But in reality, that’s not true. It’s really easy to focus on the places where support isn’t coming from; my program/department, men, the world in general, sometimes those closest to me. And it sucks! But this upbeat song puts things in a different perspective, even though it doesn’t explicitly talk about the disease.

In the music video, both Lennon and Cook are wearing the purple “Someone you know has lupus” bracelet.

You can find out more about the song here.

Benlysta – The first lupus drug in over fifty years made it into the news, suggesting that it may just be the next best thing. Here were my thoughts on it.

Me – For me, 2009 was more down than up. It began early on with the tragic death of my cousin, which sent me reeling. It continued with a search for answers about myself and others. There have been posts about love, dating, relationships, and babies. There was my first lupus hospitalization. There was the opportunity to travel, to talk about my illness experience, and to meet blogger friends.

Once again, my readers have come to my rescue. I’ve been overwhelmed by the comments that were left while I was away, and even though I may no longer get a chance to comment back to everyone, I want you all to know that I read your comments and they mean a lot to me.

Here’s to hoping that 2010 will be full of good things!