September 17, 2017

Hi my name is Demetra Wright. I want to first thank you for visiting my page, and for coming and potentially supporting me. Here is a peak into my life.

I was diagnosed with lupus at the age of 21. Before this I was a very active outgoing person. I was the high school mascot for 4 years and went on to do one year in college as mascot. I've held a job since I was 15 years old. (So to not be able to work is very strange to me.) In those jobs they were somewhat demanding physically. I was a waitress, a movie projectionists, and also worked in a bowling alley. Now that I have been sick I have not been able to hold a job down for longer than 2 weeks. I did manage to finish college and got my Bachelor's of Science degree but only through the help of my late grandmother.

I did try to hold down a job for a while and I did good right after college and work for the Department of Human Services, however, due to my illness, I was there only about 6 months, that being my longest employment. Because of the lupus medication I ended up gaining a lot of weight, I got up to 350 lb. At this point in my life I wasn't doing anything. I wasn't going anywhere. I wasn't seeing anybody. All I was doing was trying to survive. I've had many many surgeries, and I've had many many hospital stays. It seems like everytime I turn around I'm in the hospital. Some of my surgeries include having to have a hip replacement due to my bones collapsing, and having the gastric bypass surgery, because I was either going to die on the table, or die trying to stand up. With the bypass surgery I lost 200 pounds and was feeling much better. But the lupus wasn't done with me yet.

One of the next things big that happened to me was I developed kidney disease. Somehow I did manage to meet a wonderful man and we married. I am now the proud stepmother to two wonderful, handsome young man that I have grown to love just as much as their father. I would love to see both of my boys graduate high school, and possibly college, and to one day be a grandmother to their wonderful future children.We've only been married two years but in those two years we have had trying time, after trying time with our health. I had to start dialysis just one month after our marriage. So all our plans of travel and Adventure have had to been put on hold. I've been on the decline ever since. Now I've gotten to the point where I have to have a kidney transplant.

I would love to one day go back to work I'm not the type of person to sit around the house. While my husband does work very hard, we cannot survive on just one income alone. So for me to go back to work would be amazing.

It is hard for me to admit that I cannot make it on my own, financially, and I have to ask for help but I'm learning.