By Adepeju Badmus
Imagine waking up every day in a body you can no longer recognise. Your joints ache, your skin burns, your hair falls out, and your mind plays tricks on you. Imagine going from hospital to hospital, hearing different diagnoses, yet still feeling like something deeper is wrong. Her condition was a riddle no doctor could solve. But what she didn’t know at the time was that she was battling lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease that would test everything she believed about her body, faith, and future.
Personal Background
Olamide Daniel
Mrs Olamide Daniel, fondly called “Lammy”, was born in Lagos State and grew up in the same city. She studied International Relations and Diplomacy at Landmark University, Omu-aran, Kwara State.
She became a Christian in secondary school, grounded in her belief in divine health and unwavering faith in God’s promises.
“I was doing well in every way: spiritually, physically, socially. I had plans, dreams, and things seemed to be working out,” she said.
In 2017, she got married. By late 2018, she gave birth to her first child, though the baby was 36 weeks preterm because she was diagnosed with severe preeclampsia. The joy of motherhood filled her home, and life seemed to be unfolding as she had always imagined it would.
However, six months postpartum, things began to shift.
The First Signs and a Collapse
The hair loss wasn’t normal
“It started with my hair,” she recalled. “It was falling out a lot. People said it was postpartum alopecia, and some even joked that baby girls usually ‘take their mother’s hair.’ I believed them. At least, I tried to.”
But then came joint pain and severe fatigue that sleeping for ten hours could not cure.
She said it began with pain in her knees and her fingers, an ache that didn’t make sense. She was constantly tired and kept getting diagnosed with malaria and typhoid fever almost every month. But she was convinced it wasn’t just that; something deeper was happening. Her body was changing in a way she couldn’t explain.
She visited hospitals frequently, sometimes twice a month. Medications came and went. Relief was always temporary.
She continued, “At some point, I was given a three-month hormonal birth control injection because I had an uncontrolled high blood pressure after delivery. I didn’t know it would worsen my condition. I kept getting sick, but I didn’t have a name for it; just pills, tests, and confusion.
Then, in 2019, another warning sign appeared: a faint butterfly-shaped rash across her face, known as Malar rash.
She said she had initially thought it might just be a reaction. She went to a private hospital, and the doctor took a closer look at the rash and then referred her to a teaching hospital. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic occurred, and she became afraid of going to the hospital because she was scared she would contract COVID. She admitted that she delayed seeking further help, but looking back, she knew she shouldn’t have.
In February 2020, the inevitable happened.
“I was taking my daughter to the salon to get her hair done when I collapsed, just like that. I blacked out,” she recounted.
Hospitals were closed or overwhelmed due to the coronavirus lockdown. Her husband, frantic and desperate, went alone to LASUTH (Lagos State Teaching Hospital, Ikeja GRA, Lagos). Luckily, her husband found a nurse, who gave him the number of a consultant willing to offer a free online consultation and then told Lammy to run a test.
“That woman was an angel in disguise and gave us the number of the consultant. And then my blood samples were sent to South Africa and Germany. Over one million naira went into just finding out what was wrong.”
When the result came, it was Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE).
“I cried,” she said softly. “But I was also relieved. At least I had a name for the thing that was wrecking my body.”
Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) was prescribed among many other lupus medications- a vital drug for lupus patients. But COVID had turned it into gold.
“It used to be ₦8,000. Suddenly, it was ₦70,000. We couldn’t afford full doses. So I started rationing. Half today, half next week. I did what I could to stay alive.”
But in December 2021, her body gave up. Her temperature went up to 42°C. This period was in the heat of COVID-19, and so the doctor thought it was COVID because she had similar symptoms to it. She was taken to the isolation centre and was there for weeks, so she was tested and realised that she was COVID negative, so they had to remove her so she wouldn’t contract it. It was there that the doctor realised that lupus could cause a very high fever.
They did a full workup on my body, and they discovered that my kidneys and brain were greatly inflamed. Her kidneys were working at 14% eGFR, and then she was placed on an immunosuppressant. However, they said if that doesn’t work on her kidneys, then the last resort would be hemodialysis. However, the medication worked, and most importantly, God worked it out.
Miraculously, she pulled through.
“From 14% eGFR, my kidneys rose to 78% eGFR function in two weeks, and so they saw there was no need to place me on dialysis. The doctors couldn’t explain the speed at which the drug worked, and then I was discharged. But I knew it was God. That was the second time I escaped death.”
“I thought the worst was over. I had survived kidney failure. But then lupus came for me.”
In late 2021-2022, Lammy began experiencing severe psychiatric symptoms like psychosis, delusions, anxiety disorder, hallucination, speech poverty, insomnia and depression. She started hearing voices telling her to die, as ‘death would be the only relief.
“ I attempted suicide four times,” she added.
She was diagnosed with neuropsychiatric lupus. Her emotional world caved in: depression, insomnia, and anxiety became daily battles. She was placed on chemotherapy, and her hair continued to fall again. She felt she had lost herself completely.
But her husband stepped in not just as a caregiver, but as a huge support system.
“He printed Bible verses and pasted them on the walls. He would hold my hands and speak life into me. He would lay hands on me, anoint me daily, and also feed me with holy communion. He never gave up on me, even when I gave up on myself,” she stated.
Between January 2022 and August 2022, she described her life as a void.
“It was like being buried alive. But in August, something shifted. I got up one morning, cleaned the house, and arranged my wardrobe. That simple act… it broke my husband. He cried. That was the day I started coming back.” I also began posting my digital products on my WhatsApp status, and my life began to take a new turn.
A Miracle Pregnancy and a Healthier Life
“In 2024, I gave birth to another daughter — my miracle baby. After everything, God still gave me life again.”
Today, Lammy lives without symptoms. Her joints do not ache. Though she still visits the hospital for checkups and remains faithful to her treatment.
“From 2018 to 2023, we spent over 15 million naira. But I’m grateful I’m alive to tell this story. I’m in remission now. That’s a miracle too.”
Out of Pain Came Purpose
“God told me to start a foundation. I obeyed”
She established Hope Alive Autoimmune Foundation, which supports patients, connects them to affordable medications, and advocates for early diagnosis and care.
In just two months, her initiative grew to nearly 200 members, including medical practitioners.
“There’s an orphan girl in our group who has lupus nephritis. She needs dialysis three times a week. One session is ₦70,000. That’s ₦210,000 a week. How is she supposed to survive?”
“We raise funds. We raise awareness. We fight together,” she said
When asked what she has learned, her response is both spiritual and practical.
“Early diagnosis can save your life. If you discover an ailment and it doesn’t go away. Go and see a rheumatologist. Don’t wait. You are not your diagnosis. You are bigger than it.
“Stop asking God only to take the pain away. Start asking Him, ‘Lord, what do You want to show me through this pain?’ That question changed my life,” she added.
Lammy is currently writing a book titled “Finding Purpose in Pain.”
“It’s my raw journey of faith, fear, failure, and survival. There are reflections, journaling prompts, strategies for living with chronic illness, and stories of hope.”
She dreams of building free dialysis centres and one day seeing a cure for lupus.
“If my story lights the way for even one person walking through their darkness, then everything I went through was worth it.
Understanding Lupus:
Dr Hakeem Olaosebikan
Dr. Hakeem Olaosebikan, a distinguished Rheumatologist and Senior Lecturer at the Lagos State University College of Medicine, described lupus as an autoimmune condition in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the body.
“For reasons we don’t know yet, it just turned against us, betrayed us, and started to fight or attack our body,” he stated.
He explained that lupus is one of about 100 autoimmune diseases; its presentation varies greatly among individuals.
Lupus is a complex and chronic autoimmune disease that affects millions worldwide, with significant variation in symptoms and severity. According to the World Lupus Federation, a striking 87% of people with lupus report that the disease has affected at least one major organ or system in their body, including the skin, joints, kidneys, and brain. This level of organ involvement underscores the seriousness of lupus and the need for early diagnosis and effective long-term care.
A 2025 global survey conducted by the World Lupus Federation found that nearly 50% of individuals living with lupus reported kidney involvement, a complication known as lupus nephritis World Lupus Federation, 2025. Kidney damage caused by lupus can be life-threatening and may require immunosuppressive treatments or even dialysis. This finding emphasises the need for increased awareness, specialised care, and ongoing research into targeted therapies.
Symptoms
Dr. Hakeem noted that the symptoms of lupus depend on which organs are affected. According to him, the disease can affect the joints (causing pain and stiffness), skin (leading to rashes and sores), kidneys (resulting in foamy urine or swelling), heart, lungs, and even the brain.
“It is often called the disease with a thousand faces,” he remarked, highlighting the condition’s unpredictable and multi-system nature.
He added that early symptoms can mimic common illnesses such as malaria or typhoid, which often makes diagnosis difficult.
Who Gets Lupus: Risk Factors and Prevalence
According to Dr. Hakeem, lupus primarily affects young women between the ages of 15 and 50. He added that about 90% of lupus patients are women,” he said, attributing this to estrogen, which stimulates immune activity.
He also stated that people of African descent face a higher risk of developing lupus. However, he clarified that lupus is not contagious: “It is not infectious… it doesn’t transfer from wife to husband,” he said, addressing and dispelling common myths.
While the exact cause of lupus remains unknown, Dr. Hakeem outlined several risk factors as major contributors, citing genetic predisposition, environmental triggers, pollution or excessive sunlight, and hormonal factors such as estrogen. He added that self-medication, certain drugs, and highly processed diets can also act as triggers.
Moreover, he emphasised that early symptoms such as fatigue, joint pain, and skin rashes are often mistaken for other illnesses, causing delays in diagnosis and treatment.
Providing insights from hospital data, Dr. Hakeem revealed: “We saw no less than 10 lupus patients per week… and diagnosed no less than two new patients weekly.”
He further explained that the national lupus registry sometimes underestimates the true burden of the disease, due to inadequate community-based studies. He noted that the actual number of cases is much higher, considering the shortage of specialists in Nigeria.
It has no cure!
“Lupus has no cure,” Dr. Hakeem asserted. The NHS UK also confirmed this. It states, “There’s no cure, but symptoms can improve if treatment starts early.”
However, he explained that with early diagnosis and proper treatment, patients can live normal lives. He noted that remission, the stage where the disease becomes inactive, is possible.
“You don’t have complaints, but it doesn’t mean that it is being cured, though,” he clarified.
According to him, treatment aims to control symptoms and prevent disease flares, triggered by stress, infections, or sunlight.
According to the World Lupus Federation, the burden of managing lupus also includes long-term dependence on medications such as corticosteroids. In a 2024 survey, the Federation revealed that 91% of people with lupus use oral steroids to manage inflammation and control symptoms. While effective, prolonged steroid use is associated with serious side effects, including osteoporosis, weight gain, and cardiovascular risks, prompting calls for safer and more sustainable treatment options.
Only 5 Rheumatologists in Nigeria
Dr. Hakeem also discussed the significant financial burden of managing lupus. He noted that some medications can cost up to 120,000 Naira per month, and ongoing tests and monitoring add to the expense.
“In Lagos, we are only five rheumatologists for 20 million people,” he revealed.
This, he said, highlights the urgent need for better referral systems. Many patients, he observed, consult multiple doctors and spend large sums of money before getting a correct diagnosis.
Call to Action
In his recommendations, Dr. Hakeem called for improved awareness, stronger healthcare systems, and increased government support. He advocated for expanding health insurance coverage, training more rheumatologists, and supporting NGOs and patient groups to boost awareness efforts.
“The earlier lupus is diagnosed, the less the cost of treatment,” he emphasised. He encouraged individuals not to ignore persistent symptoms and to seek medical help as early as possible.
May 10 marks World Lupus Day, a global observance spearheaded by the World Lupus Federation to raise awareness about the impact of lupus and advocate for better health outcomes. The annual campaigns raise awareness about the challenges faced by people with lupus and push for government action, improved access to care, and enhanced public understanding. With increasing global participation each year, the day remains a vital platform for education, solidarity, and change.
While lupus cannot currently be prevented outright, health organisations have advised the general public on measures that may reduce the risk of developing lupus.
These recommendations include avoiding ultraviolet exposure for people who have a sensitivity to UV light; quitting smoking, as smoking increases the risk of developing SLE and reduces response to medications; maintaining a healthy lifestyle with regular exercise and a healthy diet; and avoiding medication or supplements known to trigger symptoms.
