Overcome Lupus was developed by Lupus Activist & Blogger Seda Bryant. She is an overcomer, mother, writer & graphic designer, who is using her gifts to transform pain into purpose. Lupus is an autoimmune disease with no known cause or cure, causing the body to attack itself. A cruel mystery, it masks itself as other diseases.

 

Through her Instagram Blog and the Overcome Lupus Movement, her goal is to elevate the brand awareness of #Lupus in the public to the level of Breast Cancer. Her raw, witty and insightful posts provoke thought and uniquely challenge perceptions about Lupus and chronic illness. The photo filters she created, the first for lupus on social media have amassed over 20,000 downloads in its first 2 months and she is the registered owner of the hashtag #overcomelupus. And now the digital stickers she designed for stories and videos for Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and TikTok, including the first for Lupus Awareness Month and World Lupus Day were downloaded and used 700,000 times in the first 2 months. 

 

Diagnosed in 2011 and given a prognosis of 3 weeks til organ failure, she chronicles her struggle back to life through many harrowing near-death experiences in her journey to remission. She has endured chemo, dialysis, countless procedures with anesthesia intolerance, 25+ hospital admissions, blood clots, Osteoporosis & medication caused broken bones and more.

 

From these experiences and lessons learned from the journeys of others, she shares tips & tricks, resources and personal advice to navigate the complicated healthcare system and the total lifestyle changes Lupus and chronic illnesses can cause. Her blog has become a must read and lifeline for many Lupus and chronic illness sufferers & their supporters, often conducting full-on counseling sessions in the comments section and in her DMs.

 

Importantly, she is a voice to women of color, who are primarily affected by Lupus but ironically are left out of the books and advice columns. Ten percent are men, but ninety percent of Lupus warriors are women. Overall 1 in every 250 women of color will be affected, with Black and Hispanic women having the highest mortality rates.

 

On her blog, she tackles issues like hair loss, cultural impacts, dating & relationships, disability reform, patient advocacy, coming out of the Lupus closet, closeted Lupus celebrities and boldly confronting erroneous misconceptions in the media about invisible illness sufferers. With topics like “Lupus is worse than Cancer”, she isn’t afraid to be a public disruptor for the cause.

 

Mostly her readers enjoy motivational and uplifting posts with real everyday advice. Speaking to her purpose, Bryant says “I always run into people who say, I know someone who has Lupus, but often end it with, she died. Yet ironically so many think Lupus is not fatal… So I wanted to create a place that exposed the realities of Lupus, but also where people can say, I know someone who overcame.” She recently has partnered with the NAACP of Atlanta for a covid vaccine campaign, elevating lupus awareness on a national scale. Her stories can also be found on the Elly Health Companion App, a free app for people living with chronic illnesses to have daily guidance and motivation. You can reach me on Instagram and Facebook @overcomelupus and www.overcomelupus.info