Jennifer De Sousa

Metal Butterfly: Lupus, the Enemy That Lurked Within Me Jennifer De Sousa

Jennifer Wright was born at St Luke's Hospital in New Bedford, MA, and there she was diagnosed with a Hemangioma. As she grew, the Hemangioma spread down the left side of her face leaving her with a massive birth defect. After six constructive plastic surgeries her image improved drastically, and she became more comfortable with her self appearance. At the age of seventeen she almost died in Lisbon Portugal, and was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). Ever since then, she defeated the small flares that came her way. In 2005, she had another major flare triggering her heart, and kidneys leading her to Congestive Heart failure and Renal Failure. She had been on dialysis for a year, and was on a transplant list. However, by a miracle of God her kidneys started functioning again. Despite all the suffering she has undergone, she learned that no one should ever give up on their dreams, or bow down when illness occurs. There is always a way out, or a way to make things better. If you believe in yourself; all your dreams can come true. Just one smile can cure so much, if you just believe.