Meet "Hope"

Meet "Hope", the "wolf-eyed" butterfly created to send a message of hope to people living with Lupus, an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks itself.  Latin for Wolf, Lupus, affects 1.5 million Americans, mostly women, causing widespread inflammation, pain and damage in the affected organs including the joints, skin, brain, lungs, kidneys and blood vessels.  Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is the most common form of the disease.    

The purple butterfly and ribbon symbolize hope for a cure.

Unique, one-of-a-kind jewelry handmade from original acrylic paintings on canvas.  Designs are hand-selected and sold with a complimentary 5x7" greeting card, for an all-in-one gift.

Greeting Cards are available in various themes:  Pastoral, Nature, Beautiful Women, Barbie-like, Anime or custom, personally selected for each pendant shape.  A  complimentary chain or cord necklace is included, sizes 18-30".  Let us know your interest and we will select a card & unique piece of jewelry  specifically for you or a friend.

What's it feel like to have Lupus?  How about Fibromyalgia?  Both are considered "invisible" diseases because much of what patients experience cannot be seen.  Extreme fatigue, joint aches, inflammation and pain are a few of the many symptoms.  The image above helps you visualize what its like to live with Lupus (notice the wolf) and Fibromyalgia (woman walking).  Hope, the butterfly, is needed for a cure.

This is a picture of a Roman sculpted torso. I ran across it while wandering the aisles at Home Goods a couple of weeks ago. Curious, I took a picture and searched Google to learn more. Considered classical sculpture, beautiful by some, to me it depicted the horror of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD), including Crohn’s and Ulcerative Colitis. 

The human torso houses our most critical organs. The rib cage protects the heart and lungs, and our torso/trunk protects digestive organs including the esophagus, stomach, intestines, pancreas, liver, and the gallbladder. Real-life images of the insides of people ravaged by these diseases are not pretty. My son has suffered from Crohn’s Disease for the past 22 years. He was a normal, active 11-year-old, the youngest of three, when Giardia, picked up while vacationing in Florida, infected him and didn’t go away on its own or with antibiotics as usual. Instead, it wreaked havoc on his immune system.    

Our lives were forever changed; doctors, hospitalizations, tests and multiple surgeries became his new norm. IVs with potent antibiotics, massive steroids, and biologic infusions allowed him to survive, but at a high cost. 

Unable to attend junior high and high school, he was homebound.  Months on a PICC line for basic nutrition, unable to eat, caused PTSD. His pain was intense; doctors prescribed opiates and fentanyl, the ramifications of which will be addressed in future articles. 

On a good day, his disease is “invisible” to others, yet it’s always present and takes its toll.  Life is a challenge.

If you know someone facing IBD, Crohn’s Disease or Ulcerative Colitis, know there’s a lot they don’t tell you. You probably see the brave face they put forward, not their reality. Excruciating pain may be their constant companion. 

Autoimmune Diseases are rampant and like cancer, are unfair, attack at will, and have no consideration for their victims. According to the National Library of Medicine (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC914057), “Autoimmune disease results from the immune response against self-antigens, while cancer develops when the immune system does not respond to malignant cells.” Autoimmune disease and cancer were considered two separate fields but recent discoveries have shown that the study of autoimmune diseases can be extremely helpful in the development of anti-cancer drugs. “Autoimmunity and cancer seem to be just two sides of the same coin.” We desperately need to learn more. 

Please, be aware.  Learn more. You, or someone you know and/or love, may be affected.  Autoimmune diseases don’t just happen to “other” people. Be kind. Support ongoing research! Help if you can.

Crohn's, Ulcerative Colitis, Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, and other autoimmune diseases have been long-term uninvited guests in our family. "Horror Autotoxicus" is the horror of self-toxicity, the now discredited principle that the body will not harm itself.    Raise awareness of these debilitating diseases;  someone you know or love is fighting what may be an invisible battle, giving a whole new meaning to "war games".

"Hope" and her butterfly friends, playfully adorn "Wolf" with a headband, encouraging Lupus patients and their families to   "Hope"  for a cure.  The butterfly's blue "wolf" eyes pay homage to Lupus, its namesake.   Latin for wolf, Lupus is one of 80+  defined Autoimmune diseases with more suspect, impacting an estimated 50-million Americans,  Check out my Etsy shop www.etsy.com/shop/jhuxdesigns promoting autoimmune awareness and  my designs.   Contact me at jenhux@outlook.com if you are interested in volume pricing or to arrange  international shipping.

You have a choice of vendors with jhuxdesigns.com.  Check out TeePublic for a wide selection of merchandise.  Enjoy!