When veteran rapper Snoop Dogg's then 11-year-old daughter Cori was diagnosed with Lupus nearly 15 years ago, he and his wife, Shante Broadus, had never heard of the fatal disease that affects more than 1.5 million people.
"Shante and I cried 1,000 times" Snoop told People Magazine.
90% of those diagnosed with lupus are women between 15 and 45 years of age. It is the leading cause of stroke, heart and kidney disease in women. Lupus can also strike men, older adults and children, in fact, the numbers of lupus cases seen in children is increasing. More people have lupus than those who have AIDS, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, sickle-cell anemia or cystic fibrosis, making lupus one of the country's most prevalent medical problems.
MUST READ: Do You Have These Lupus Symptoms? Click To Find Out
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Unbeknownst to many however Cori's battle with lupus is the reason that convinced Snoop and his wife Shante to stay together. The West Coast rap icon said it played a major part in helping his failing marriage.
Speaking on the delicate situation, Snoop shared that although he filed for divorce from his wife in 2004 citing irreconcilable differences, his daughter’s ailment played a role in them moving on to renew their vows in 2008.
“That’s what it boiled down to Cori’s lupus showed us we need to be together forever.”
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His wife Shante adds, “Without (Snoop), I don’t know what I’d have done. It’s amazing how this all turned out. We were gonna get a divorce. But we wouldn’t have gotten through it (the lupus diagnosis) that way.”
Snoop also told People that his daughter’s condition has improved greatly despite the side effects of the disease that caused her hair to fall out and affected her weight.
According to Snoop, Cori, now 22, is winning the battle against it.
“My daughter is the love of my life. When she’d lay in bed saying, ‘My brain hurts’, it bothered me so much. I felt helpless, but...
...she’s the toughest little thing I’ve ever met, even with the needles…She’s on the honor roll, playing volleyball and softball, living life. She has all this joy. In the beginning lupus was winning. But now Cori is.”
While not as well known as other autoimmune diseases, Lupus is a very serious, chronic, life threatening autoimmune disease that can affect virtually any organ of the body. African Americans are 4 times more susceptible to lupus than Caucasians.
Because symptoms of the disease vary from patient to patient, lupus can be difficult to recognize. It causes inflammation of various parts of the body, especially the skin, joints, blood and kidneys, extreme fatigue, joint pain, kidney, heart, lung and blood dysfunction.
For more about Lupus' symptoms and treatments, click here.
