Nick Cannon on #Lupus: His best interview yet! #nickcannonlupus #webmd

I love everything about WebMD's latest interview with Nick Cannon. He's so positive and upbeat - but doesn't shy away from the fact that he's had to make a ton of accommodations in order to live well, despite lupus. I think he (and Selena Gomez) are great role models for lupus warriors. Just like us, they've had to rework their lives to make room for lupus. They've made changes to their lifestyle, been forced to take major medications to get their disease activity under control, and their careers have been affected (temporarily) to allow them to focus on their health. But are they still striving to be the best they can? Are they continuing to persevere, despite their illness? You better believe it! 

In fact, I think the subtitle of the article says it all: : 

Nick Cannon: A Warrior in the Fight Against Lupus

He's changed his lifestyle, not his work ethic, to manage the autoimmune disorder.

Here at Despite Lupus, our mantra has always been that you can still be successful, fulfilled, and challenged, while simultaneously accommodating for the disease. Our lifestyle changes don't have to effect our spunk, our drive, or our personalities. Yes, it can be hard. Yes, it can take time. And yes, there is some serious effort required to come up with strategies for managing life with this disease (hence my 1100++ blog posts!). But it's a task I've come to embrace, and I hope you will, too!

Here's my favorite quote (particularly the last line) from the article, but be sure to read the whole thing here. Thanks, #WebMD for featuring such a great lupus spokesperson! 

"The biggest challenge [Cannon] continues to face: getting enough sleep. “My doctor demanded that I get at least 6 hours and try to stretch it to 8, but I was a guy who was getting 0 to 2 hours some nights,” says Cannon, who is also chief creative officer for RadioShack. “I take pride in how hard I work, but I’ve learned that my symptoms flare up when I overexert myself.”But his new life has been tough. “Making real changes -- it takes time and it isn’t the easiest thing to do. A lot of people make lifestyle changes for a certain period of time to get in shape. I’m doing it to stay alive.”