Jokiva Bellard

I met someone with lupus today, and I will not disclose her name for her privacy, but she told me that I could tell her story. Domestic violence is a...

Lupus being genetic is a real thing. My mother also has lupus but my sisters have not been diagnosed with it. My middle sister has been experiencing symptoms of it...

I now completely understand the reasons why I chose female OBGYN’s instead of males. I used to not understand why until I met a man and completely stopped going to...

Still, to this day, I feel like I must explain myself to people in detail. Even though times have changed and plenty of people have it and it's widely talked...

Puerto Rico was amazing and I had the most fun I have ever had since pre-COVID and pregnancy. Now that I know what to expect. Before I left Louisiana, I...

Working on my energy is the most powerful thing that I can ever do. Learning myself all over again. I learned that when you are in a bad mood it...

The reason why I chose to be in a health profession knowing that I have lupus can be overwhelming but exciting. I have met many people living with lupus who...

How has everyone with lupus been dealing with their weather, and how does it changes drastically every day? This time around, summer has been overwhelmingly hot, but we have been...

Everyone that has skin issues or any health issues I encourage to model. Why? Ask yourself why not? You become unique in your own way. Just think that no one...

Am I the only one who gets pregnancy scares with lupus? Now that I have a child, I do not know whether I missed my period because I am pregnant...

Can lupus become fatal? Yes, for some people, lupus can become fatal. Lupus causes many complications with health issues. It is dangerous because lupus attacks the organs. Our kidneys and...

Wearing makeup can make you feel beautiful and relaxed, but when should you wear makeup, and how? Around 2016, when I was going through my second kidney failure, it started...

Editor’s note: Content warning – This article includes experiences with suicidal thoughts. I just recently entered a depression stage where it is impossible for me to get out of. I...

Someone told me that I disgust them. Someone told me that I should kill myself. Someone asked me, why I would bring a child into the world knowing that I...

Being an advocate, you must watch out for a lot of things. Let me teach you one. Now you have modern-day phishing, and it is so bad because of the...

I decided to interview my husband to learn someone else's opinion of me and to know the support I have. Nothing really changes, everything is really the same. I just...

Editor’s note: Content warning – This article includes experiences with self-harm and suicidal thoughts and behavior. What should people with lupus know when they feel like they’ve tried everything in...

Insomnia and night terrors can be the worst things to experience. Also, I suffer from sleep paralysis a lot. When I was a child, I would have the most horrific...

Being in school can be really overwhelming because of the time I get to do the homework and classwork with being a mother. Today I found myself in complete pain...

I hope I am not alone when I say that an ovarian cyst can be very painful. Ovarian cysts are fluid-filled sacs or pockets in an ovary or on its...