The TARDIS inside us: A metaphor for living with lupus
How mysterious machine in 'Doctor Who' reminds me of our diseased bodies
I think I’ve fallen in a “Doctor Who” rabbit hole.
If you’ve ever watched the show, you know the TARDIS, whose letters stand for time and relative dimension in space. On the outside, it looks like a simple blue British police box, plain and unassuming. But step inside, and it reveals something vast, mysterious, and alive in ways even the Doctor doesn’t fully understand. It travels through time and space. It changes. It surprises. And no matter how chaotic things get, it somehow keeps going.
Supposedly, the TARDIS has infinite rooms outside its main console, and below that console is a wider array of complicated technologies that allow the TARDIS to function. The machine has a personality of its own. The Doctor and the TARDIS are inseparable.
That’s lupus.
That’s us.
Vast. Mysterious. Capable of incredible things. Alive, even.
It might sound like a strange comparison, but for those of us living with systemic lupus erythematosus, the TARDIS is a metaphor for our bodies.
The vast reach of lupus
First airing in Britain in 1963, “Doctor Who” has become one of the “longest-running and most beloved science fiction television series of all time,” according to the fan website Nerdipop! The show has a devoted fan base in the U.K., U.S., and around the world and, again according to Nerdipop!, has “captivated audiences with its imaginative storytelling, iconic monsters, and the enigmatic character of the Doctor.” Generations have grown up watching the Doctor explore time and space in the TARDIS, a machine that defies logic and expectation.
To me, elements of the TARDIS and Doctor Who mirror the lives of 5 million people around the world who are living with lupus, each carrying something unseen, complex, and mysteriously powerful. Like the TARDIS, lupus is bigger and more complicated than it seems, randomly and abruptly affecting every organ, every cell, and every single aspect of our lives.
From the outside, a person living with lupus may appear completely fine. People say it all the time: “But you don’t look sick.” What they don’t see is the battle happening within: a body at war with itself, an immune system that attacks instead of protects.
It’s unpredictable. One day, we feel almost normal, then within hours our bodies can spiral into a flare. It’s a shapeshifter of symptoms. Fatigue drapes over us like fog. Lab results, new medications, and constant specialist visits become part of the routine.
No two journeys are the same. It’s a journey we never chose, but one that’s forced us to become experts in resilience.
Lupus is chaotic. It can feel like we’re jumping through time, functioning one moment, immobile the next. There’s no road map. No guaranteed landing. Sometimes we don’t know how we got where we are, only that we have to keep moving forward. And within that chaos lives a kind of quiet power. A stubborn resilience. A reminder that even when everything is changing, we’re still here.
Just as the Doctor learns to work with the TARDIS, we’ve had to learn to live with our bodies, not against them. That means listening carefully, adapting constantly, and showing up anyway — even when the destination isn’t clear. It means accepting what we can’t control, while fiercely advocating for what we can.
Lupus forces us to adapt constantly. We learn to read subtle signals from within. We adjust our pace. We create routines out of unpredictability. Like the Doctor piloting a temperamental ship, we become experts in navigating the unknown without a manual, often without recognition, but with incredible strength.
And we do it together.
The lupus community is a multitude of TARDIS travelers. We’re warriors in disguise. We carry pain that doesn’t show and strength that doesn’t shout. When we meet in person or virtually, we’re therapeutic allies who celebrate the good days, survive the hard ones, and support each other in ways only those who live this lupus life can understand.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the size of what you’re carrying, remember: What’s happening inside you is real. It’s complex. It’s powerful. And it doesn’t have to make sense to anyone else for it to matter.
You’re not weak because lupus has changed your path.
You’re not invisible because others can’t see your pain.
You’re navigating something enormous, and doing it with courage, wisdom, and heart (even if at the moment you feel physically and emotionally weak and fragile).
You are here, and we celebrate you. So celebrate with me.
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.
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