Special Lupus Awareness Issue May 2017 | Page 20

WINNING THE FIGHT AGAINST LUPUS A Lupus Diagnosis Saved Felicia Imagine checking into an emergency room and being told, “One thing is obvious, you’re going to die and the autopsy will tell us why. We have all this equipment, so many specialists and yet we don’t know what’s wrong with you.” For Felicia Leon it isn’t hard to imagine because it’s a memory. The year was 2007 and Felicia was visiting with her sister in Miami when she fell gravely ill.  She checked into the emergency room of a Miami hospital and despite undergoing numerous tests and being seen by various specialists, there was no diagnosis. “The doctor told me they were releasing me to hospice, not to be afraid but it’s the best they could do to make me comfortable. That I was going to die, in about 3 days.” But with prayers on her lips and a strong will to survive, Felicia remarkably defied all odds and continues to do so 10 years later. The words “Felicia has lupus but lupus does not have Felicia” is evident. My in-depth interview with Felicia Leon, a lupus survivor and warrior who by the way is winning the battle. 20