The Indian believed that dying was
not a tragic event. It was
important to the Indian that he die well, with dignity, to consciously choose to
die even if it is inevitable. This
kind of self-control in the face of death earns a warrior the greatest glory.
This way of thinking is similar to the movement of eye contact when a
wolf meets its prey. This
“conversation of death” determines whether the prey lives or dies.
The prey must be willing to die. There
is a nobility in this mutual agreement.
--Debra McCann
The wolf is the primeval wild dog, a hunter alongside people, ancestor of our most faithful domestic companion. Rabies vaccine approval for wolves and wolf/dog crosses are now becoming available. The Indian translation for wolf is waya. The Latin word for wolf is lupus; gray wolf is Canis lupus.
Wolves vary widely in appearance, gray, white and red. One of three recognized species of wolf today includes the gray wolf, red wolf, and Ethiopian wolf. The wolf has many colors as do people with lupus. We vary from the African American to the Caucasian, and the Asian to the European.
The Indian word for wolf clan is Aniwaya. Wolves form groups called packs; they live in dens. The wolf moves silently among the trees; they are howling hunters of the night. The Wolf, its victims do not hear; to its prey it is invisible.
Today wolves are endangered species. The severity of the wolf being endangered changes from region to region.
Within my body, my wolf will be lurking. A clever hunter his head dipping down, ears curled, paws
shifting backward, he retreats to the darkness.
My wolf retreats with medication. The
prednisone is now working. He
retreats to the still of the night, to the corners of the forest.
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus is an
autoimmune disease that causes the body's own immune system to
"attack" itself, causing inflammations of the skin, joints, blood and
kidneys. Lupus can effect many organs of the body including the kidneys, brain,
heart, lungs and gastrointestinal tract, and left untreated can be fatal.
Lupus is more prevalent than AIDS, sickle cell anemia, cerebral palsy,
multiple sclerosis and cystic fibrosis combined.
About 500,000 people in the United States have Lupus to one degree or
another. The severity ranges from mild to severe.
We call ourselves the lupies. In our constant search to understand this disease we participate in on-line discussion groups, chat rooms and on-line surveys. In researching lupus on the Internet, you will find many sites with names indirectly related to the wolf. Home pages including such names as “Embracing the Wolf”, “Living with the Wolf”, “The Wolves Den”, “The Lupus Den”, “Wolf Lair”, “Wolf Bytes”, and “Pack of Lupies.”
One common mild manifestation is a "butterfly rash" on the cheeks - the lupus mask. During the era of the Salem witch trials, many people believed that the butterfly rash was caused by the bite of the wolf. Some of these women were put to death for fear of rabies. Although there are no vaccines for Lupus, we have many drugs to control our disease.
The sun is deadly to a person with Lupus. In the most severe cases, sunburn can lead to the shut down of the kidneys within hours. People with lupus prefer the night; we hunt for the night because we can not be in the sun.
Because of the invisibility of Lupus people do not understand us; we have no outward symptoms. One cannot “see” the kidneys shutting down. One cannot “see” the lining of the lungs filling with fluid. You only see that we are tired, we must rest.
He is waiting and watching for his next opportunity, his opportunity to maim or kill. I will not be his next victim because I have armed myself with my “weapons.” My arsenal of anti-malarials; my firearm of the prednisone surge, my cloak of courage, and my shield of rest; I am ready for his attack.
This wolf is silent, moving like a ghost through the night, attacking the innocents, first on the left side, next on the right. Not a sound does this wolf make as he downs his prey but he leaves his mark on them as he sulks away. The wolf has slipped out, she’s left with no clue. Lupus means wolf in some foreign tongue .For this young lady the fight has just begun. --Sherry L. Gibson
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