AGENT B: Who's afraid of the big bad wolf..

Lupus in latin translates as Wolf

My life has been so intimately touched by this illness, watching one you love deteriorate over night victim to some wolf like stalker of the twilight, prowling in the darkness waiting for the right moment to strike...So few have heard of it, yet worldwide it's seen as more common than leukaemia, multiple sclerosis & muscular dystrophy.

Over 30,000 people have the disease in the UK of whom 90% are female. Men & young children can also be affected by lupus. The ratio of women to men(who are affected) being 9:1.

Lupus is an autoimmune disease, a type of self-allergy, whereby the patient's immune system creates antibodies which instead of protecting the body from bacteria & viruses attack the person's own body tissues. This causes symptoms of extreme fatigue, joint pain, muscle aches, anaemia, general malaise, & can result in the destruction of vital organs. It is a disease with many manifestations, & each person's profile or list of symptoms is different. Lupus can mimic other diseases, such as multiple sclerosis & rheumatoid arthritus, making it difficult to diagnose.

Currently there is no single test that can definitely say whether a person has lupus or not. Only by comprehensive examination and consideration of symptoms and their history can a diagnosis be achieved.

It's taken the lives literally and mentally of so many talented wonderful souls and only those soldiers of another kind seem to be able to push through the boundries and limitations it can present in their lives...to all of you that have stared the beast straight in the eye, i salute you, heres to the beautiful struggle and to more research and global awareness

As my Brother would say

" Fuck the big bad wolf ".