A woman is participating in the Walk to End Lupus for the first time since her mother was diagnosed last year.


What You Need To Know

  • Lupus is an autoimmune disease

  • Kayla Britt was diagnosed as a girl, and her mother was diagnosed with the disorder last year

  • Britt is taking part in the Walk to End Lupus for the first time since her mother received the diagnosis

Kayla Britt said to understand lupus, imagine a body at war with itself, attacking its immune system, causing widespread inflammation, joint pain and more.

She said one of the symptoms she despises most is the crushing fatigue. She said she could see the signs in her mom, Marie Lee, long before a doctor screened her for the disease.

“I started seeing things, and I'm like, I think you have lupus,” Britt said.

Britt said 21 years of living with lupus teaches you what to look for in another person.

The 32-year-old said doctors didn’t initially spot her mom’s lupus, but the daughter kept insisting on more testing.

“It came back that she did have lupus,” she said.

Her mother’s bloodwork revealed one more disease, “which we later found out was non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma,” Britt said.

Adjusting to life’s curveballs began at age 11 for Britt with her diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus, the most common type of lupus. 

“It’s the tired (feeling), as if your entire soul is leaving your body. It’s an exhaustion that you can’t really explain." “I’m really grateful that I had the experience and the knowledge of what lupus looks like,” Britt said. “It’s the tired (feeling), as if your entire soul is leaving your body. It’s an exhaustion that you can’t really explain." 

One point of pride for her is a collection of dolls of iconic women who went against the grain in history. From Rosa Parks to Jane Goodall, these dolls give her hope for a strong future.

“This is my inspiring women Barbie series. They are always the hot topic in here — love what they stand for,” Britt said.

She said it is a nod to fearless women who don’t settle for the status quo.

“It’s a reminder to me that these ladies went through great lengths to be successful,” Britt said.

Britt said she and her mother both kept pushing for answers when they felt something was wrong, and Lee noted they both are fighters. 

“I was strong through her sickness. Now the tables are turned, and I'm weak, and she is the strongest one,” Lee said as she laughed. “Like mother, like daughter. Stand up and get something right.”

They will participate in the North Carolina Walk to End Lupus, at 10 a.m. Saturday at Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte.