Ayanna Dookie

Breaking down #autoimmune stigma starts with sharing health stories. Thank you so much to our #LupusWarriors @ADookie, @PreshaKardile, and @MataJuanamata @Looms4Lupus for sharing their stories today. #SWHRtalksLupus

For those seeking workplace accommodations for lupus, @ADookie recommends going to your employer with concerns as well as solutions. "[Lupus] isn't a disease most people are aware of, so... make sure to have suggestions about what they need to do" to support you. #SWHRtalksLupus

Share your #lupus #lifestyle questions with SWHR in the replies here or tag #SWHRtalksLupus. Some of these questions will answered by three #women #LivingWithLupus during the SWHR #FiresideChat next week, 10/17: ow.ly/GbIk50KBvB0 @ADookie @Looms4Lupus #WorldMentalHealthDay

Do you know what #lupus is? Who gets lupus? Or how to manage lupus symptoms inside and outside the home? SWHR's latest public forum address these and more, with the help of experts like @IreneBlancoMD, @EmployersHealth, and @ADookie: ow.ly/OEew50JKB6y #SWHRtalksLupus

Learning to speak up for yourself and ask for help is crucial when you're living with #lupus, patient advocate Ayanna Dookie @ADookie shared. Hear more about living with lupus in SWHR's recent public forum: ow.ly/zVKp50JKAF4 #SWHRtalksLupus @IreneBlancoMD @EmployersHealth

Eating healthy is important, but healthy means different things to different people, @ADookie said. "Experiment with your body. The same way #lupus impacts us in different ways, that happens with your diet too. We’re like ongoing science fair projects." #SWHRtalksLupus

"Speak up for yourself. I know it's easier said than done." - @ADookie, on living with #lupus and being your own health advocate She also recommends seeing a therapist, because "it’s not just physically taxing on your body, it’s also emotionally taxing on you." #SWHRtalksLupus