October 7 th marked 4 years since I was diagnosed with Lupus, four years since my body decided to wage war on itself, four years since I started to actually learn to listen to what my body was telling me, four years since I learned to be kinder to myself. That last one is still a work in progress but I believe I'm getting better at it every single day. This year has been quite challenging. It’s tested me and made me feel more helpless than I’ve ever felt before. It has left me feeling raw and vulnerable and made me rely on people quite heavily – something that has always been hard for me. But it has also taught me to fight and be strong and to appreciate every little victory. Some of these, though seemingly small, are that I can walk around without assistance, get up the stairs in my house at a normal pace, open up a drink bottle on my own most of the time. The latest and one of the most exciting victories: I have finally been cleared by my doctors to s...
