A Child’s View of Lupus: I saw the Hand of God

Reflection

At 10 years old, my mother was diagnosed with lupus. A disease that, at the time, was largely unknown in the United States.

I watched my vibrant, athletic mother go from playing softball on her company team and bowling in tournaments to lying in a hospital bed, weighing less than 100 pounds. Every step she took required all the strength she had. Every breath seemed like a battle.

The doctors didn’t know what was wrong. All they could do was prepare our family for what they believed would be her death.

But God.

A doctor from Africa was completing his residency at the hospital. He asked my father if he would allow him to examine my mother. My father agreed.

After performing a biopsy, the doctor told the medical team that my mother had lupus. He explained how to treat the disease, and treatment began immediately.

Week by week, we watched a miracle unfold.

The weight slowly returned. Her strength increased. The walks around the hospital grew a little longer each day until the day we heard the words we had been praying for:

“She can go home.”

She never returned to the athletic lifestyle she once enjoyed, but she came home.

And for our family, that was everything.

Looking back, I realize that at 10 years old, I witnessed the hand of God.

Did I understand it then?

No.

I was simply grateful to have my mother with me.

The journey wasn’t over. Lupus brought years of battles. There were seasons of remission and seasons when the disease resurfaced. Many times it looked as though we might lose her.

But God had another plan.

I don’t know what your story is today. I don’t know what diagnosis you’ve received, what burden you’re carrying, or what battle you’re fighting.

What I do know is this:

There is a God who is able.

There is a God who walks with us through every season of life.

This was only the beginning of my story.

As I continue to write, I will be transparent about my victories, my losses, and the years I spent merely existing instead of truly living. Through every chapter, my prayer is that you will see God’s love, His protection, His healing, His peace, and His faithfulness.

Because if He did it then…

He is still the same God today.