Finding our superpower by surviving lupus flares

“I hope in 2026/ you let everything/ you survived become/ your superpower.” — @spiritdaughter

Those words, written in a simple white font, sit on a silver-spotted, emerald green background. They are part of a carousel of quotes posted on Instagram by author Jill Wintersteen.

I reread those 12 words for a minute, and each time, images flashed in my mind about what I survived in 2025. And I’m awestruck.

Then I thought about what other friends in my lupus community survived last year. We’ve had strokes, heart surgery, a kidney transplant, liver tests, brutal headaches, vision loss, major falls, knee replacements, stint and pacemaker implants, extensive wound therapy, influenza, anxiety, clinical depression, weeks-long hospitalizations, and disability service denials. There also were long, aggressive flares and attacks that felt like lupus was trying to kill us.

But it failed. (Breathe that in and celebrate with me that lupus failed to kill us.)

Recommended Reading

October 15, 2025 by Marisa Zeppieri

In life with chronic illness, we must guard against energy vampires

We survived, bruised but not battered, cast down but not destroyed. And through that survival we’ve learned more ways to survive, to heal, and, in many situations, to thrive with lupus.

I agree with Wintersteen’s hope for us that we will truly let everything we survived, and every lesson from that survival, be our superpower for the new year.

A superpower can be a natural ability that reaches the peak of human potential. It can also be a set of capabilities and traits considered beyond the limits of normal beings or paranormal to some degree.

For those of us living with lupus who call ourselves “lupies,” “survivors,” “thrivers,” or “warriors,” many times our bodies reach beyond a natural pain threshold and a normal level of symptom tolerance, as we transcend into heightened survival mode. That transcendence is where our superpower lies. It is the point where the lingering flare numbs us to other suffering and we somehow still maintain the ability to keep being an employee, a parent, a spouse, and a friend in spite of the ongoing flare.

The superpower lies in our ability to identify new ways of coping, bringing relief, or preventing another occurrence because we can reflect on these strategies both during and after flares.

When we gain understanding from a flare — such as its trigger or ways to soothe or shorten its duration — we are learning something that leads to better management of our daily disease activity.

This “let it become your superpower” way of thinking is not congruent with the common refrain “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” which isn’t necessarily true.

As we face this new year, we enter it with the scars of fighters who’ve won the biggest battles of our lives. We’ve survived more than we could’ve imagined. We’ve learned more than we could’ve anticipated. And, with hope, we will the superpower to thrive in 2026. For that, I celebrate.

Note: Lupus News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Lupus News Today or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to lupus.