Toni Braxton on living with lupus and spreading consciousness in regards to the disease

well may is Lupus Awareness Month and health organizations across the country are raising awareness of the physical and emotional impact of the autoimmune disease according to the Lupus Foundation of America an estimated 1.5 million people have been diagnosed with lupus in this country alone furthermore.

Health experts say an estimated 90 percent of people with this disease are women grammy-winning singer producer and actress Toni Braxton joins us now she has been living with lupus for the past 15 years hello Tony she is also a spokesperson for orinia pharmaceuticals and it's get uncomfortable campaign Tony welcome welcome thanks so much for being.

Here you know for our viewers who might not be familiar with this disease can you explain first of all what is lupus and how does it affect a person's body a lupus is an autoimmune disease uh autoimming meaning self the body attacks itself there are different types of lupuses I have SLE some semic lubrics it can attack anything from skin to hair in.

My case any organ in my body I've been living with lupus for more than 15 years now and I've had some serious health complications including now it's starting to affect my kidneys but just a few months ago I had a little scale a big scare actually I had a doctor's appointment and I was not going to go that day I was feeling a little tired I.

Was also a little sad because my sister unfortunately had passed and I just thought I'm not going to go but for whatever reason I just just get it out the way and I went and literally that doctor's appointment saved my life I would not be here today if I had not gone to that doctor's appointment so I'm here partnering with urania I'm.

Thrilled to be here partnering with them to get uncomfortable campaign and encouraging people living with lupus and lupus nephritis don't miss your doctor's appointments they're so important and so essential for us to hear especially how disproportionately it affects women and how we all know we're really bad about taking care of ourselves yes we are Tony.

You are a regular uh in our your music rather is a regular here on our in our studio in our makeup room as we're getting ready we we adore you um and you have been living with lupus for about 15 years I'm hoping that you can talk to all of us about how you found out that you had lupus and how it's impacted your personal and.

Professional life I found out I had lupus diagnosed the permanent diagnosis I should say the real diagnosis was 15 years ago but I had had symptoms even years before that uh like I said my skin my hair my heart my vital organs are starting to become affected I had no idea I also learned the numbers I learned that.

African-American and Asian women or four times more likely to develop lupus nephritis Hispanics and Native American women twice as likely I learned one in three people with lupus nephritis will probably experience kidney failure maybe dialysis or even a kidney transplant and it could be permanent damage I had no idea about these numbers and now I'm.

Like I have to talk about I have to educate people I have to pay it forward I have to empower them and educate myself even um so like get uncomfortable.com it's a great website website to go to www.comfortable.com a great website to go to it has impacted my professional life I love performing I love touring.

But I know I can't do six and seven shows a week my body's not going to let me do that but I always try to find Silver Lining maybe I can do two to three shows a week I have to pace my body I have to be kind to myself I have to learn sometimes I'm not going to be able to balance it and to be okay with that and because women we take care of.

So many people families responsibility kids work we tend to forget about ourselves so I'm encouraging you to and to remind you it's okay girls that we take a little 20 minutes you know to do things for ourselves yes you know go to the doctors if you have to get uncomfortable pee in that cup I hate being in the cup.

But you know you got to learn to get comfortable with being uncomfortable and that's what I love about this campaign Tony I want to ask you about that health care because you touched on it a moment ago tell us what happened because it turns out there was a serious blockage right it had to do with your heart and had it not been for your lupus.

Management routine you would have never known about it I would not have known anything about it I went to the doctors finally and they did this test and said wait a minute we need you to stay why do you need to stay I had no idea and with uh within like almost immediate they did the surgery with the stent it turns out that it was the Osteo left it's all.

Always will say something called the Widowmaker that makes it easier I would have had a massive heart attack I would not have survived they said I would not have survived because of The Blocking when I hear that because of the black because more than 80 percent and where it was located the main Osteo artery the part of the heart right there and when I.

Think about it get a little emotional because I feel so fortunate and so blessed so me sitting here talking to you guys about it today and educating and trying to empower people go get your kidneys checked go pee in a cup whatever it takes it's non-invasive you know do it and um I'm just thrilled that I can talk about it and we are so back here.

Today and I can talk you know I'm sorry guys uh my dad actually just recently had um that same um that same Widowmaker uh with with major blockage and it is emotional it is scary um and and we appreciate your honesty in talking to us about all of this it's not.

Easy to talk about this stuff and and you were when you were talking about your lupus you said you had SLE and I think it's an it's also an important thing that you're bringing up that this isn't a one size fits-all disease so there are there are different aspects to it um yeah I even though this is a really.

Widespread disease even though it affects so many women there's still very little I think that the general public understands about this tell us your myth your message to patients who are newly diagnosed and um and what hope you have to give them about their treatment you know I would tell them the first.

Thing I would say is be kind to yourself I was lupus shamed I was held shame I call it that I was told never tell anyone you have a lupus to live with it hide it no one needs to know you'll never work you'll never record you'll never tour so I hid it for the longest at first and then I talked to my family that Community around you is so.

Important and they said you know you need to talk about it and once I talked about it I felt relieved I felt I didn't feel that hopeless feeling anymore so just because you have Lupus doesn't mean it has you it's just what you have today and we can live with it go to the doctors get checked out you don't have to I mean actually let me say this part.

It can be silent you can have no symptoms of lupus nephritis none at all so that's why those screenings are important that's why ladies we got to take that time to take care of ourselves even if you go annually to the doctors once a year make that point the day before your birthday treat yourself I've got to go to the doctors you know get.

Some blood work done I'm gonna do these screenings to see what my health kit what my body is looking like these days because I am overdoing it a little bit well well we are so glad that you are taking some time out of your schedule to spend it with us and yes on not having to live with that shame and carry that alone the Luminous Toni Braxton thank.

You thank you thank you

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