Shannon Wright: Informed and Ready to Win

Four years ago, Shannon was training for a marathon. She wasn’t a novice runner, but the discomfort she began to experience was completely familiar. First, it started with her ankles hurting and then her wrists. She thought she had been training a little too fast and hard when she noticed these new aches. Even with rest, the pain continued. She knew something wasn’t right. Like many athletes, she wanted to get to the root of the issue so she could get back out on the pavement as her best self. She went to her doctor for answers.

After an examination and bloodwork revealed possible signs of autoimmune disease, the 26-year-old found herself meeting with a Rheumatologist who later confirmed she had Lupus.

On average, it takes individuals about 5-7 years in our healthcare system to be diagnosed. It took about a year for Shannon to find out which was considerably fast. She shares her personal story and fight here.

May was Lupus Awareness Month! Shannon Wright tell us about her Lupus journey through her lens...

It is clear that you are very informed. What advice do you offer to others recently diagnosed?

Shannon, Lupus is an autoimmune disease. What are some other common autoimmune diseases and how are they similar to Lupus?

There are hundreds of autoimmune diseases, but what they all have in common is that the individual’s immune system malfunctions and begins attacking healthy organs, cells, and tissues.

Some common autoimmune diseases that people have heard about other than Lupus is rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, Type 1 Diabetes, celiac disease, etc. What separates the diseases are what cells, tissues, and organs the immune system attacks.

In what ways has Lupus changed your life?

Lupus has made me slow down, take care of myself, and really appreciate and be thankful for all that I have in my life. It’s also made me more focused on living life to the fullest, taking chances that maybe I wouldn’t have when I was healthier.

What are the greatest challenges of living with a chronic disease like Lupus?

For me, dealing with the healthcare industry, the reason it takes so long for many people with autoimmune diseases especially women to be diagnosed is due to many physicians and specialists in the healthcare industry not believing patients symptoms.

If you ask almost any person with an autoimmune disease if they have had to deal with pushback or doctors doubting their symptoms, they’ll have a story. It’s really difficult for people to be going through a life-changing disease to be told by the professionals who are supposed to help them that they have anxiety or are making symptoms up, which has happened to me several times!

That being said, I’ve also had some amazing, caring professionals who have been with me every step of the way.

Be kind to yourself. It’s going to take some time to get back to feeling like you again and you just have to give yourself the grace to get there. Lean on your inner circle if you can, going through an autoimmune disease is scary, and having support with you at home and in the healthcare setting is crucial.

What would you like people to know about autoimmune diseases?

A few things, autoimmune diseases in the Western world are on the rise, especially in younger generations like Millennials and Generation Z. I always encourage people of these generations to check in regularly with bloodwork (especially if you have any sort of familial history), so you can catch the disease early.

Most people with autoimmune diseases have comorbidities (or multiple illnesses) due to the diseases attacking healthy organs. For example, my lupus eventually began to attack the healthy cells in my pancreas, which led to me having a pancreas disorder. So, when someone says they are fighting an autoimmune disease, they’re also probably fighting other comorbidities as well.