How Zuha Refused to Let Lupus Write Her Story

Key Takeaways

• Zuha Fathima’s lupus journey began with joint pain before affecting other parts of her body and leading to lupus nephritis, hospitalizations, and intensive treatment.
• After her diagnosis, Zuha found purpose in art, using it as a form of self-expression and financial support as she worked hard to build a life beyond her illness.
• With the support of her husband, family, and healthcare team, Zuha navigated the challenges of lupus, including frightening pregnancy complications.
• Today, Zuha is an accomplished mother, artist, and educator who encourages others with autoimmune disease to keep pursuing their dreams, even when the path looks different than expected.

The Challenges of Lupus Changed Zuha’s Life

When pain first appeared in the small joints of Zuha Fathima’s hands, she assumed it would pass. Instead, it grew until ordinary tasks, such as getting dressed, turning over in bed, and holding a spoon, became painful achievements. 

In 2015, when her first symptoms started, Zuha was preparing to begin college. She loved art, journaling, and creating things, but it became difficult to follow those passions since she could no longer rely on her own body.

A blood test originally suggested rheumatoid arthritis, but further evaluation eventually led to a diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). As it does with many patients, this chronic autoimmune disease began affecting many parts of Zuha’s body, forcing the young woman to adapt her lifestyle and shift some of the plans she had for her future.

Learning to Live With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

For a substantial chunk of time after getting an autoimmune disease diagnosis, Zuha cried alone because she did not want her parents to see her in pain. As the eldest daughter, she felt she had to be strong, and she didn’t want to give up on her dreams.

Luckily, she had people she could lean on. For example, her teachers and friends helped her complete notes and assignments when she could not. 

Even small accommodations helped keep Zuha on track. Since mornings were the hardest time for her body, she’d request that exams be scheduled in the afternoon so she could continue pursuing her degree.

Setbacks from Disease Progression

As Zuha grew stronger, her health-related challenges grew as well, as her disease did not remain limited to her joints. 

In 2016 and 2017, her situation took an unfortunate turn. Zuha was hospitalized around her birthday; she developed pleural pain involving her lungs. Things most people do without thinking, such as walking, eating, and studying, became victories; even turning from one side to the other while lying down felt difficult.

Life got even more challenging when Lupus started affecting Zuha’s liver and kidneys. Lab results after a kidney biopsy showed Class IV lupus nephritis, a serious form of kidney inflammation. Her treatment intensified and included steroids, other powerful medications, and eight cyclophosphamide infusions.

Reframing What Strength Means

The year 2016 and onward taught Zuha an important truth: Strength is not always fighting. Sometimes strength takes other forms, like: 

• Resting and prioritizing self-care
• Asking for help
• Taking prescribed medicine when you are tired of taking it
• Simply waking up and trying again

Navigating Healthcare Expenses

Coping with an autoimmune diagnosis is challenging enough, but for Zuha and many others, the accompanying financial burden can feel almost as frightening as the disease itself. 

While in India, Zuha has not had adequate insurance coverage for her autoimmune care, so many things have had to be paid for directly, including:

• Routine doctor appointments
• Advanced tests
• Medications that are meant to be used long-term
• Costly injections 

Zuha and the Autoimmune Association believe that no one managing a chronic illness should also have to wonder whether treatment is affordable. That is why one of our main policy priorities and guiding principles is to work to improve healthcare affordability. You can support this mission by looking into opportunities for individuals to get involved in Autoimmune Advocacy.

Doctors Are Still Important

Despite the associated financial burden, finding trustworthy doctors and specialists and visiting them regularly is important for people like Zuha who have to live with a lifelong, unpredictable condition. 

Fortunately, Zuha has found medical providers who know her history, listen to her, and work with her, rather than just treating her like a test result. These relationships give Zuha confidence to make informed decisions and remind her that she is not navigating lupus alone.

Moving Forward with Confidence

Zuha didn’t just leave her health journey in the hands of doctors; she spent a substantial amount of time researching lupus herself so she could understand the disease. This gave her a sense of control. 

In addition to prioritizing her health and surrounding herself with a strong support system, she began pouring herself into her passions again.

Finding Her Voice Through Art

While balancing her treatments, Zuha made a big leap by starting an art page in 2018, Craftastic by Zuha. Art had always been her safe place, considering she studied art, taught painting workshops, and eventually worked as a creative art teacher at Raah Academy in Bangalore. However, now art has become a modest source of income, as she has been selling her paintings to people in different parts of the world to help with her medical expenses.

The more Zuha has created, the more she has changed too. The quiet girl who cried alone learned how to speak up, say what she needed, and protect her peace without guilt.

Love, Lupus, and Pregnancy Loss

One major change in Zuha’s life was that she found love. Leading up to her marriage, she knew she had to tell her future husband everything, including the fact that lupus and her daily medications could complicate pregnancy and motherhood. She was terrified to lay out this information, but when she did, her partner listened, walked away for a moment, then returned, held her hand, and told her he would be there for her. Zuha says, “He didn’t just accept my illness. He accepted me.”

They married in March 2021, celebrating their love while also working through intensive treatment plans and painful questions from others about when they would have a baby. Caring for a loved one with an autoimmune disease can be challenging, but Zuha’s husband reassured her that she was not a burden. Her parents, grandmother, and family stood beside her, too. Their love, care, prayers, and respect were as necessary to her as medicine.

A Closely Monitored Pregnancy With Lupus Nephritis

In 2025, after years of treatment and waiting, Zuha saw two pink lines on a pregnancy test. She was overjoyed yet afraid at the same time. Some doctors were also worried because of her medical history—early test results raised the possibility that continuing the pregnancy could again put her life at risk.

Zuha and her husband chose to move forward under close medical supervision. Her rheumatologist and gynecologist worked together throughout the pregnancy. Her lupus remained controlled. She needed iron infusions for low hemoglobin, and her baby’s heart was monitored carefully, but all of the fear was eclipsed by true happiness.

On January 23, 2026, Zuha’s water broke, and she had an emergency C-section. After nearly four and a half years of marriage and years of wondering whether motherhood would happen for her, she was able to hold her little boy. 

Zuha remembers her rheumatologist telling her, “You won in life.” She felt that she had, not because lupus disappeared, but because it never took away her ability to follow her dreams.

Zuha’s Message to Other Women Living With Autoimmune Disease

Today, Zuha remains a dedicated mother, artist, and educator. She still takes medication and lives with the uncertainty of chronic autoimmune disease. But when she looks at her son, she does not see only what she lost. Instead, she sees every difficult morning, hospital visit, tablet, tear, prayer, and supportive person in her life as something that helped her survive.

Her message to others living with lupus or another autoimmune disease is clear: Do not let a diagnosis become the end of your dreams. The path may take longer, and plans may change, but waiting is not the same as losing, and illness does not make anyone less worthy of love, motherhood, a career, creative expression, travel, friendship, or happiness.

“I once thought lupus was taking my life away from me,” Zuha says. “Now I know it never had the power to take my life. I was busy building one.”

If you are living with an autoimmune disease like Zuha, the Autoimmune Association has resources available to support you on your health journey, from coping tools to prescription assistance.