Lupus Chick #2: Toni Braxton

Today’s Lupus chick comes from the Maryland, USA. Anyone who watches Braxton Family Values knows that Toni Braxton is always late (dot com)!! And no prizes for guessing what is slowing her down…. LUPUS!!!

Toni Braxton lives with lupus AND Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. These illnesses put a halt to her music career, leaving her with hefty medical bills and too tired to perform. She was eventually forced to  declare bankruptcy in 1998 and again in 2010.

Toni has four dynamic sisters who are always up for a good time and a boogie while poor Toni is seen as the party pooper because she frequently bails on them (Bermuda episode) or is hours late (Vincent’s birthday dinner). To quote her sister Tamar, this behaviour is “Not cool dot com”.

What baffles me is that Toni’s family know about her illnesses. In season 1 episode 4 Toni explains her diagnosis to family and how it impacts her life. They were shocked and supportive but finally understood why she Toni had to rest a lot more than she used to. Fast forward a couple of episodes and the sisters are back to moaning and screaming “Where’s Toni!!!”, “Why's Toni is always late” and “Toni always has an excuse” .

It cannot be easy telling family or life-long friends that the way you used to spend time, the things you used to do and the places you used to hang out now have to change because of lupus. It is especially hard when your lupus is not very visible. Lupus forces you to redefine friendships and miss out on opportunities. When your energy is limited you have to take the time to carefully select which activities to engage in based on so many factors such as distance, sunlight exposure, cost and even the comfort of the seating facilities.  Living in constant pain can affect your personality and the traits that brought you close to someone may suddenly fade away. Friends and family also absorb the news at different paces and in different ways. You may find yourself repeating explanations again and again before they fully understand how Lupus affects you…. And then chances are your lupus will decide to surprise you, do a 360° and chose another form of attack!

Anyway cheers to Lupus chick #2:Toni Michelle Braxton whose blessed the world with amazing music, 6 Grammy Awards, 7 American Music Awards, 9 Billboard Music awards, 2 gorgeous kiddies and a fabulous family. May your sisters one day understand that if even God had to rest after just six days of creativity, you’ve definitely earned your right to chill.