Lupus was a word I had never heard before it became part of my life. What started as a routine medical test slowly turned into a journey of hospital visits, uncertainty, and learning how to live with a chronic illness.

This is the story of how lupus entered my life — and how I am learning to live with it.

Understanding Lupus

“What is lupus?”

This is the first question I am asked whenever someone learns that I have lupus.

In simple terms, lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks its own tissues and organs. Normally, our immune system is designed to protect us from infections and harmful invaders. But in autoimmune diseases like lupus, the immune system becomes confused and begins attacking healthy parts of the body.

Because of this, lupus can affect many different organs including the joints, skin, brain, lungs, kidneys, heart, and blood vessels. The disease often causes inflammation and tissue damage in the affected areas.

The exact cause of lupus is still unknown. Researchers believe that a combination of genetic factors, environmental triggers, infections, and hormonal changes may contribute to the condition. Even today, scientists continue to study lupus to better understand why it develops.

Lupus can also be difficult to diagnose because its symptoms vary from person to person. People living with lupus experience periods called flares, when symptoms worsen unexpectedly. Sometimes flares happen suddenly, while other times they develop slowly.

Despite how unpredictable lupus can be, one thing I strongly believe is that lupus should never define who we are or control our attitude toward life.

The First Signs Something Was Wrong

I was born and raised in Kerala, a beautiful state in southern India. Later in 2017, I moved to Canada as a permanent resident, excited to begin a new chapter in my life.

For a while, everything was going well.

Then in April 2018, my life took a painful turn when I lost my father. I traveled back to India and stayed there for two months with my family.

Before this happened, in March 2018, I had applied for a life insurance policy in Canada and completed the required medical tests. While I was in India, I received unexpected news: my insurance application had been rejected because something was abnormal in my urine test.

When I returned to Canada, I visited my family doctor to understand the issue. He explained that I had protein in my urine, a condition known as proteinuria. This meant my kidneys were leaking protein.

At first, the doctor suspected that it might be caused by stress or changes in diet, so he asked me to repeat the urine tests several times. Each test showed different levels of protein.

Eventually, my doctor referred me to a nephrologist, a kidney specialist. The nephrologist asked me to monitor my condition through multiple 24-hour urine tests and mentioned that I might need a kidney biopsy to understand the cause more clearly.

During this time, I kept updating my cousin Arathy, who is a doctor in India.

The Day I Heard the Word Lupus

Later that year, I had to travel back to India again for my father’s first death anniversary. While I was there, my cousin Arathy arranged for me to do several blood and urine tests.

When the results came back, she told me that my immune system appeared to be attacking my own body and that we should consult a nephrologist immediately.

The next day, my cousin Arathy, my cousin brother Kiran, and I visited a nephrologist. After reviewing my reports, the doctor explained that I had Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) — commonly known as lupus.

It was the first time I had ever heard the word.

I remember feeling completely blank. I didn’t know how to react or what to say. Everything felt unreal.

The doctor advised me to come back the next day for a kidney biopsy. Since I had my family with me in India, they encouraged me to do the procedure there instead of waiting until I returned to Canada.

The Kidney Biopsy

I was admitted to the hospital and underwent the biopsy procedure.

While I was recovering in the hospital, my blood count suddenly dropped. The doctors initially decided that I might need a blood transfusion.

However, when they prepared for the transfusion, something unexpected happened. My blood group appeared to have changed from B positive to O negative, which confused everyone and created a dilemma for the doctors.

Because of this complication, they decided to increase my blood levels through iron supplements and diet instead of proceeding immediately with the transfusion.

Two days later, my biopsy results arrived.

That was the moment my life changed.

I was diagnosed with Stage 2 Lupus Nephritis, a form of lupus that affects the kidneys.

A New Chapter

Hearing the diagnosis was overwhelming. I had never imagined that I would be living with a chronic illness.

But over time, I began to understand that lupus would not just be a medical condition in my life — it would be a journey of learning, adapting, and finding strength I never knew I had.

In the coming chapters of my story, I will share more about the treatments I went through, the major flare-ups I experienced, and how I continue to live with lupus while trying to keep a smile on my face.

Because even with lupus, life continues — sometimes slower, sometimes harder, but still full of moments worth living.