Kay Mimms, Lupus Warrior
I was diagnosed with lupus in 2006 at age 59 after suffering with various symptoms at different times throughout my life. Two of my nieces were diagnosed with lupus as teens and passed away before age 40, one with kidney failure and the other with disease of the brain. Another niece was diagnosed with lupus in 2011. Also other members of my family have been alerted to the possibility of having the disease. My diagnosis almost came too late because I was very close to death before a definite diagnosis was secured. Thanks to God, my husband, daughters, family, friends, physicians, hospital staff and rehabilitation staff, I survived a near-death situation.
Thank God that today my condition is stable. I try to express gratitude for every day that I am still alive and am able to take care of myself. I awake each day being thankful to God that even though I have painful and sore joints and find it difficult to walk sometimes; even though my voice is raspy, and I am not able to sing like I used to; even though I still have a mild productive cough; even though I fatigue easily; even though I forget or may not fully understand things at times; even though I second-guess most things I do; even though I have to take lots of medications, I AM STILL ALIVE and learning to live with lupus in a positive and productive way. I try to do what I can to stay healthy and leave the rest to God.
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Kayrene (Kay) Mimms is founder of Kay’s Lupus Initiatives, LLC. Kay is a retired educator and holds her MS in Education School Guidance and Counseling from Chicago State University. She taught Home Economics, Psychology, and Cooperative Work Study at Bloom High School for 20 years. Kay was employed as a High School Counselor at Rich South High School in Richton Park for 12 years.
Kay currently resides in the South Suburbs of Chicago with her husband, Cecil. She has 2 adult daughters who also live in the Chicagoland area. Kay is a member of New Faith Baptist Church International where she’s actively involved in the Health Care Ministry as the Lupus Liaison, Seniors on the Move group, and Sunday School.
Kay enjoys reading, line dancing, exercising, doing sudoku puzzles, and studying topics about functions of the mind and body.