Jane Austen

The novelist passed away aged 41, why she died remained a mystery, although Addison's disease and lymphoma were initially believed to be possible causes of death.

In December 1816, Jane told her nephew, James Austen-Leigh, that she found walking out to dinner “beyond her strength”. In March 1817, writing to her niece, Fanny Knight, she described her face as, “black and white and every wrong colour”, evidence of the butterfly rash seen in some lupus patients. By April she had become confined to bed.

In 2022 retired surgeon Michael Sanders, by reviewing all of Austen's available letters and extricating relevant medical information, put forward the conclusion that the cause of death was systemic lupus erythematosus. Her symptoms included rheumatism, facial skin lesions, fever and marked fluctuation of these symptoms. The severity of her symptoms increased, leading to her death within a year. Michael Sanders findings were published in Lupus a SAGE Journal.

Tichina Arnold

Tichina Arnold is an American actress, comedian and singer. She began her career as a child actor, appearing in Little Shop of Horrors and How I Got into College. She also played the family matriarch Rochelle on the sitcom Everybody Hates Chris and has appeared in many films such as Big Mommas House.

Tichina’s sister, Zenay, has seven autoimmune disorders, lupus being one of the more ferocious diseases. Zenay was told she would be in a wheelchair by now (she’s not). That she would lose her hair from chemo treatments (she didn’t). That the fatigue associated with lupus would not allow her to work full time (she does). Zenay considers herself a walking miracle, and as a result, the Arnold sisters now strive to give back to others who have been stricken with lupus and other related illnesses.

The #ArnoldSisters – as they frequently hashtag their dynamic duo on social media – created the We Win Foundation to bring awareness to lupus and to help people become lupus survivors like Zenay, who’s been living with it for over 10 years.

Ayda Field

Gwen Field, mother of Ayda Field (who is married to Robbie Williams) has lupus. As well as lupus Gwen also suffers from Parkinsons and cervical cancer.

During lockdown in May 2020 Ayda revealed more devastating news. "My mum in January was diagnosed with Stage 2 Cervical Cancer and it had spread outside the cervix and was a very aggressive tumour so alongside her Parkinson's and her Lupus was this cancer battle and because the cancer was so big they decided that she needed to immediately go into chemo and radiation daily and have surgery," Ayda explained.

“When the pandemic hit it was very scary because my mum with Lupus and Parkinson's and cancer, at 70 years old is prime for some bad things happening so she was going to the hospital every day for these treatments and I just remember every day thinking 'Is she going to pick something up? Is this where it all ends?'" she added.

Kristen Renton

Kristen Louise Renton is an American actor recurring as Ima Tite on Sons of Anarchy and formerly known for portraying Morgan Hollingsworth on NBC's soap opera Days of Our Lives. Kristen was diagnosed with lupus in 2010, revealing her diagnosis in 2017.

SWV (Sisters with Voices)

SWV’s Cheryl “Coko” Gamble took in her late cousin Sheila Laney’s 2 children, she promised to care for her Sheila’s 12-year-old son, DJ, and daughter, Nevea, before her cousin passed away.

Coko said: “She was sick, she had lupus and we feel like she knew that she was sick already and that she wouldn’t be here much longer because she was getting things in order. We were like, ‘Of course, sure, no problem,’ and she was getting paperwork in order and everything. Shortly thereafter, she got really sick and she passed away, and so here we are today.”