Teenagers Living With Lupus

Video Transcript

"Hi, this is Heather Kamins with Expert Village. I have had Lupus since I was 14. I got sick about a month after I started high school. I can really identify with that. You are going through a lot of changes physically and emotionally anyway and then Lupus comes and sometimes it's hard to tell what is a normal part of life and what is happening because of the Lupus. It's really important to find people that you can talk to family, friends, counselor or a therapist. There is no shame in that and it's really important to get your feelings out and not bottle them up because that is going to make you feel worse. It's also important to find the things that you really love to do and the things that make you who you are. Being a teenager is so much about finding out who you are and becoming an independent person and it can be easy to Lupus become your identity and you don't want to do that. You want to figure out what makes you you. Whether it's something artistic or helping other people with volunteer work, anything like that. Find out what makes you who you are and find your identity in that."