“Someone you know has Lupus” – you may have seen this exact phrase over the years, on Lupus bracelets, flyers, memes, etc. This weekend truly solidified the truth of this sentence to me. I was able to take my personal Lupus story and passion for spreading Lupus awareness to the Mrs. NY America pageant this past weekend.
Not only was it an incredible experience but I met amazing people. I was in awe at how many people either had a friend or family member who has Lupus and how intrigued they were by some of the stories I had shared with them.
It brings me so much joy when I meet people who are familiar with the disease and want to share their experience with others. When I was diagnosed 13 years ago, it seemed like no one spoke about Lupus. I felt ashamed by my diagnosis and told no one. Wow, things have truly changed and it is AWESOME! Like I have said before, I will continue to bring awareness, share my story, share YOUR story and tell everyone I meet about Lupus until I take my last breath. There is nothing to be ashamed about – we are strong survivors!
Thank you to all of you for supporting me on this journey. I still have another 8 months or so as Mrs. Rochester NY and plan to tell many more people about Lupus. After all, I bet someone they know has Lupus!
XOXOX Much love, Marisa
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