Long Grove mom shares her story of living with lupus

Kelly Jean Drury, a 34-year-old Long Grove mother of two, says she is one of the lucky ones.

That's despite a diagnosis of lupus that came out of the blue, derailing the plans she'd made for her life.

"Discovering I had lupus was definitely a fluke," said Drury, who at the time of her diagnosis was living in Los Angeles and just beginning a promising acting career with a coveted role on the daytime soap "General Hospital."

"It was blood work done during a routine physical which first alerted my doctor to the need for additional investigation," she said.

Feeling healthy and showing no symptoms of the autoimmune disorder, Drury says she and her family were shocked when a new DNA-type blood test pinpointed a lupus diagnosis.

According to the Lupus Foundation of America, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic, life-altering autoimmune disorder affecting 1.5 million Americans and occurring when the immune system is unbalanced. Unpredictable and potentially fatal, lupus may affect many organs of the body, including the skin, joints, heart, lungs, kidney, brain and blood vessels.

"We'd never heard of the disease and after learning more were terrified," Drury said. "Having never experienced symptoms, the thought of using medications and their side effects was daunting. I vowed to avoid using them as long as possible."

Within three months, severe joint pain and the inability to even raise her arms to style her hair caused Drury to rethink that resolve. Cortisone shots helped, but when a "whooshing" sensation occurred during a 2000 holiday hike, Drury knew something was drastically wrong.

"I thought I was having a heart attack," recalled Drury, who loved biking and long outdoor hikes. "Instead, I learned it was a major lupus flare up with a pleurisy-type inflammation in the lining of my lungs and pericarditis. That event marked the beginning of a major five-year battle and lupus journey."

Among the varied symptoms were pain while lying down or even laughing. Her skin hurt, face swelled, rashes appeared and disappeared, and she had pain moving her fingers.

According to lupus experts, the disease often has very individualized and varying symptoms. Joint pain, fevers, fatigue and skin rashes are all common symptoms of the disease, and inflammation caused by lupus can damage the heart, lungs, kidneys and brain, resulting in significant disability and death.

"I started chemotherapy and steroids, trying what must be every major lupus drug," she recalled. "None seemed to work. After a visit to the Mayo Clinic and the introduction of the maximum dosage of an injectable chemotherapy agent, things began to turn around. There just weren't many options."

Drury, who currently serves as national spokeswoman for the Lupus Foundation of America, says she became depressed, experienced grief and mourned the loss of independence as she was forced to move back home so her mother could lend a hand.

"As my hair fell out from the chemotherapy, I began to loose my identity and couldn't imagine anyone wanting to be with me," reported Drury, who later found an apartment closer to the emergency room and her doctors, within the same building as her brother and sister-in-law.

As her body began to heal, Drury says it was a good friend, Clay, who lifted her spirits and helped swing the momentum for recovery in her favor. The two began dating in 2002 and after a long-distance romance, married two years later.

Today, Drury says her life is full and she has been doubly blessed.

"Because my blood tested positive for an antiphospholipid antibody, I knew any pregnancy could be dangerous for a baby," explained Drury, who is a past member of the Lupus Foundation of America, Illinois chapter board of directors and who co-chaired the organization's inaugural Orchid Ball. "Yet, thanks to modern medicine and a surrogate, we now have a 3-year-old and a 9-month-old who fill our home with joy."

In addition to outdoor playtime, trips to the park and family hikes, Drury says she looks forward to a May trip to Washington, D.C. to attend the Lupus Foundation of America's annual Butterfly Gala, where she will introduce Soledad O'Brien, CNN anchor and special correspondent, as the evening's master of ceremonies.

While she tires easily and still faces a disease that is not in remission, Drury said she's feeling great.

"I'm so lucky to have my own biological children and lots of help at home," she noted. "Lupus does prevent me from doing everything I'd like, but it doesn't change who I am."

<p class="factboxheadblack">More on lupus</p>

<p class="News">• Lupus is a long-term autoimmune disease that can damage any part of the body - skin, joints and/or organs.</p>

<p class="News">• Most people have flares (the symptoms worsen and you feel ill) and remissions.</p>

<p class="News">• With good medical care, most people with lupus can lead a full life. </p>

<p class="News">• Lupus is not contagious. </p>

<p class="News">• An estimated 1.5 million Americans have lupus. </p>

<p class="News">• Lupus strikes mostly women ages 15 to 44. However, men, children, and teenagers develop lupus, too. </p>

<p class="News">• Women of color are 2-3 times more likely to develop lupus. </p>

<p class="News">For more information about lupus, visit <a href="http://www.lupusil.org" target="new">www.lupusil.org</a> or call the Lupus Foundation of America, Illinois chapter at (312) 542-0002.</p>

<p class="News">Source: Lupus Foundation of America</p>

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