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In December 2019, I landed a painting job in Kikuyu with a brilliant team of artists. We spent our days transforming plain walls into something vibrant and inspiring—a creative home for the techies who worked there. It was the kind of project that fills you up, both with colour and with purpose.
Right in the middle of all that creativity, my body started sending signals I didn’t understand. My joints began to ache out of nowhere. My stomach was unsettled, and I kept wondering whether it was leaky gut syndrome, IBS, or something entirely different. I knew something had shifted, and I felt I needed to take charge of my health. That’s when I decided to change my diet and explore going vegan—or at least plant-based with some white meat—hoping it would bring some relief.
Then in February 2020, things shifted again. My face started getting puffy—it would swell, go down, then swell again. After a while it wasn’t just swelling; it felt hot, like something was brewing under the skin. I still can’t explain why I didn’t go to the hospital at that point. Maybe I thought it would pass. Maybe I was just tired of feeling unwell.
One day, my brother came to visit. I mentioned that I hadn’t been feeling like myself, and that I’d developed mouth sores. He asked to see them. The moment he looked, his face changed. He told me, gently but firmly, that we were going to the hospital the next day. And that’s exactly what happened.
I honestly thought it would be a quick visit—see the doctor, get some medicine, and go home. But things unfolded differently. When the doctor came to examine me, she listened to my symptoms, then called in three other doctors. They checked my skin carefully and noted that I might be developing a butterfly rash on my face.
They explained that I could be dealing with lupus, but they needed tests to be sure. They drew some blood and sent it to the lab. Two hours later, the results came back. Positive. I had Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) which is the most common form of lupus. That moment marked the beginning of a journey I never expected to take.
I was admitted that same day to Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi. It was Friday, March 20th, 2020. They started me on prednisone, HCQS, and colchicine. Even with the medication, I didn’t seem to be getting better. After five days, my parents felt it was best for me to go home and come back only if things got worse. So we left.
Not long after, things took a frightening turn. My face, neck, chest, and back began developing burn-like scars. Some areas were raw and bloody before they dried into crusts. I was terrified. I kept asking myself what was happening to my body, and why everything felt like it was spiraling.
I kept telling myself I would get through it, even though anyone who looked at me then would have thought I was hanging on by a thread, string death in the face. The pain became unbearable, and I had to return to the hospital. They admitted me immediately.
Later, the doctors explained that I was having a severe sulphur reaction. I was frustrated, because they had asked about family allergies earlier and we had mentioned that sulphur was an issue. But there I was, reacting to a sulphur-based component in the HCQS.
Things got serious very fast. I was moved to the High Dependency Unit because my life was in danger. My skin looked like that of a burn patient, and the reaction was so intense that my organs had started to bleed. It felt like my whole body was fighting for survival.
I spent ten days in the HDU, and during that time all I allowed myself to focus on were thoughts of healing. I held on tightly to the belief that I would get better. At one point, I even got a morphine overdose and went completely dramatic and chaotic… but that’s a story for another day.
I truly believe that my mindset played a huge role in how quickly I began to recover. One of the doctors told me that being young, 22 at the time, gave me a stronger chance to fight. I know people say lupus has no cure, but I’ve always believed the body can reverse even the toughest illnesses.
A year later, I went into remission. Unfortunately, when I slipped back into unhealthy eating habits, the lupus became active again. My journey has reminded me that healing is not just medical. It’s discipline, mindset, and daily choices. Five years later as I write this today, I'm in remission again.
I want my story to remind anyone living with lupus that remission is possible. It may take time, patience, and many lessons along the way, but it can happen. For me, acceptance and daily learning have been the foundation of moving toward remission, and eventually believing in the possibility of reversing this disease.
Everyone’s journey is different. Some people feel discouraged because they’ve heard again and again that lupus has no cure. I understand that fear deeply. Still, I’ve watched my own body change—for the better and for the worse—depending on my choices, mindset, and habits. That experience taught me that there is always room for hope, healing, and progress.
Every day, I choose life.
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