About

Hi, I'm Mercedes. I'm a Cuban-American woman in her early 40s, living in Los Angeles. I'm an Interfaith Minister and a professional Flamenco dancer. On June 12, 2015, I was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Lupus for short, after years of mysterious symptoms that were progressively getting worse. About a year later, I was also diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. Although I was able to finish seminary and get ordained, and I have been able to keep on dancing, life has changed radically for me in the last couple of years. Besides the monthly visits with my rheumatologist, and regular visits with a whole slew of other specialists, my daily decisions must now always take the Lupus and Fibro into account.

The one thing that has really helped me adapt to this new reality of being a "Lupie", which is the name we Lupus patients use to refer to ourselves, is my spiritual practice, primarily meditation and mindfulness. Now that I've had a couple of years to learn about life with Lupus and Fibromyalgia, I want to share my experience through this blog. I hope to be a resource for fellow Lupies and other chronic illness warriors, for our caregivers, and for the general public who want to learn more about Lupus and Fibromyalgia. I believe sharing and awareness lead to compassion and understanding. I hope that this blog helps spread that compassion.