<p> Kimberly Pizza</p><p>Lupus Survivor, Berlin, Maryland</p><p>Kimberly’s lupus battle began in the early 90’s. She describes her day to day struggle as going from feeling perfectly fine to suddenly finding herself with extreme pain and swollen knees and knuckles. Confused as to what could be going on, Kimberly sought help from several doctors searching for answers about why she was experiencing these painful symptoms. After a trip to the ER for extreme joint pain, Kimberly knew something was very wrong. </p><p>Many blood tests later, Kimberly began a series of treatments for what she thought was Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). The medication regimen used to treat her RA igniteda lupus flare that resulted in another setback and a new search to find a physician who could diagnose her disease and treat her symptoms. Kimfinally located a doctor in Baltimore, Maryland that provided her with an accuratecombined diagnosis of lupus and RA and worked with her to prescribe an appropriate treatment regimen.</p><p>“Living with lupus and RheumatoidArthritis is a daily struggle. It’s easy for many to take the simple, things we do in life for granted but with lupus, l have learned to appreciate the good days” Kim says. </p><p>For over 20 years, Kim worked full-time while combatting extreme pain and skin rashes from the effects of lupus and RA. Kim has since ended her career and now relies on her husband to perform daily tasks on her behalf. “There are days when it’s hard to open a bottle of water, get dressed, or even get out of bed”, she describes. </p><p>Complications from Kim’s lupus progressed to the point where she could no longer bath independently due to lupus complications and became in dire need of financial assistance to install a bath lift in her home. “I tried every community resource recommended by my social worker, but didn’t fit the guidelines of their assistance programs. The Lupus Foundation of America –DC/MD/VA Chapter was the only resource available to me that was willing to support my fight for independence and truly wanted to improve my quality of life”, Kim describes.</p><p>LFA-DMV’S Emergency Assistance Fund was designed for circumstances like Kim’s where individuals have nowhere else to turn and facing crisis situations as a result of their lupus. The LFA-DMV’s Emergency Assistance fund awarded Kimberly with a bath lift, allowing her to move freely without the assistance of her husband.</p><p>“LFA-DMV’s Patient Navigator truly understood and demonstrated compassion for my situation””, Kim describes. Kim notes her frustration in dealing with others not wanting to help her, because she “doesn’t look sick”. Since receiving the bath lift from our EAF program, Kimberly has experienced an improvement in the way she feels and says “It’s such an amazing to take a load off her husband and do things independently”. </p><p>By sharing her story, Kim wishes to show people that there is hope, and strives to help inspire others to spread awareness of this disease, as there is limited information available about lupus. She hopes that her story will motivate others to get out there and share their experiences while learning they are not alone in this fight.</p><p>Thank you, Kim for sharing your story! </p>