Lupus chick #7: Kelle Bryan

Kelle Bryan was set for life. She was part of one Britain's most successful R'nB groups, Eternal. She was touring the world, singing for the pope and dreaming of expanding into an acting career. The bizzare symptoms seemed to come out of the blue. She felt exhausted, she ulcers all over her mouth and her joints felt stiff and sore. She had no idea what was happening to her but everybody had a theory:
"You're coming down with the flu" her mother
"It's just symptoms of a post viral infection, it will pass" her family doctor
"You must have slept funny" her boyfriend
"You seem to have all the symptoms of HIV, it might be AIDS" another doctor
Eventually  a rheumatologist at Guys and St Thomas Hospital had the answer. "You have lupus, your  immune system is producing too many antibodies, which are attacking your body. Its affecting your skin, muscles joints and organs."

Once she understood what was happening, Kelle sought to take back control of her body. She began her treatment, started a healthy diet and took up kickboxing. She became a patron of The Guys and St Thomas Lupus Unit and campaigned to raise awareness about lupus.
But this wasn't enough, Kelle still dreamed of being a mother. Many women with lupus struggle to get pregnant or have multiple miscarriages. Any pregnancy has its risks but pregnancy with lupus can be fatal to both the mother and the baby. During pregnancy the organs that were just about coping, may be stretched to perform beyond their limits, the immune system can get abnormally stimulated and the drugs used to control the lupus can be dangerous to the baby.
A few years ago whilst visiting the lupus unit Kelle was told about a recent advance in medical research that would enable her to have a safe pregnancy. In 2011 she gave birth to a lovely little baby boy, who's birthday just happens to fall in lupus awareness month!

Please find out more about Kelle on her website www.kellebryan.co.uk
And check out this great resource on lupus in pregancy http://www.hss.edu/conditions_lupus-pregnancy-points-optimize-outcome.asp