Eric GarciaVerified account

Thank you, @EricG1247 From one Lupus Warrior to another, I appreciate this with all my heart. Thank you for your support & for bringing awareness to Lupus. People still ask me, "How can you have Lupus, isn't that a woman's disease?" 5-10% of the 1.5M in America w/Lupus are men!https://twitter.com/EricG1247/status/1314714134123024384 …

That's the first thing everyone told me when I was first diagnosed when I was finally diagnosed. It took years for me to actually be diagnosed.

It makes me sad to read this, it took years for me too. And in retrospect, there were signs my entire life, from low white cells and red cells when I was younger, to unexplained joint pain & fatigue. I was told to "suck it up" & "stop complaining" so many times growing up.

I was deployed to Iraq when my 1st symptoms started to manifest. I was told I was faking it and I missed promotions because of it. I deployed again while my symptoms worsened. It took about 4 years to finally get my diagnosis. I was told the same thing except it was yelled at me

Breaks my heart to read this, Eric, thank you for sharing such personal details. People need to see and understand. Thank you. You are the consummate Lupus Warrior, I thank you for fighting for me.