Switzerland. It was the job and opportunity of a lifetime and we were certainly looking forward to it. Then, in July of 2006, I was faced with the diagnosis that I have lupus. It really turned my world upside down. My health was paramount; it had to be first and foremost. Commuting to Switzerland almost every week from New Jersey just wasn’t healthy. I had to make some very tough choices in terms of my career. I wrestled with the decision to tell my employer: if I told them, would they think I was fragile? If I didn’t tell them, would my symptoms manifest themselves in a way that people would notice?”
Michelle said she had to do some self-reflection in terms of what was most important to her.
“I had put my career first and foremost up until that point, but now I had to take a step back and I decided that if I didn’t have my health, I couldn’t have a career.” She said she decided to tell her boss at the time, and he was nothing but supportive.
“My next challenge was to rethink and re-engineer how I managed my professional life and put myself first and foremost, and my career second since the disease was going to shift everything in my life, especially since I didn’t know much about it.”
Lupus can be difficult to diagnose because it’s signs and symptoms often mimic those of other ailments.
It also affects its patients uniquely. Signs and symptoms may come on suddenly or develop slowly, may be mild or severe, and may be temporary or permanent. Most people with lupus have mild disease characterized by episodes — called flares — when signs and symptoms get worse for a while, then improve or even disappear completely for a time.
“This disease is still extremely mysterious,” said Gadsden-Williams. “It took several months to be properly diagnosed and even with that, there’s no cure.”
Although the disease can be