Coming from the spouse of someone who suffers from lupus, I can tell you first-hand that it is horrible to watch play out. My wife was diagnosed a few years ago with what the Lupus Foundation of America calls ‘one of the world’s cruelest, most unpredictable, and devastating diseases’. What really sucks is that she is a very independent person who likes to take care of people, and she is losing the ability to do that to her satisfaction.

She works a 40-hour work week, then comes home and tries to take care of three kids and myself. She loves a clean, organized house, but with three kids that’s not usually feasible anyway. But now that she is constantly fighting fatigue and body aches, sometimes she can’t do anything and it breaks her heart. We do what we can to help out around the house, but she genuinely likes to clean and likes to do things her way. So her not being able to do what she wants to do when she wants to do it is a hard pill to swallow.

May is lupus awareness month. Many people struggle with this disease that doesn’t get nearly enough attention. Visit the Lupus Foundation of America‘s website and educate yourself on the effects of lupus.