Whitworth student’s battle with lupus helps her redefine beauty

The scars on her face force Katrina Bosma to consider beauty.

They are faint and obscured by a layer of makeup. But they are symptoms of a lifelong disease the Whitworth University freshman lives with.

“Some people say people who wear makeup are so self-conscious,” Bosma said. “Well, I wear it because I have scars on my face.”

Bosma has lupus. An autoimmune disease, lupus tricks the body into believing it’s allergic to itself. The body then attacks itself as if fighting a virus. People with lupus often feel tired and run-down.

“When I have a flare-up I’m so tired that if I’m laying down, getting up is a lot of effort,” said Bosma, who grew up in Mead and graduated from Northwest Christian Schools. “A lot of people call it the lupus fog.”

During her freshman year of high school Bosma was diagnosed with cutaneous lupus. It affects her skin, creating dry, red spots. She’s particularly susceptible to sunburns and wears SPF 50 sunblock nearly every day. The scars she has are from staying in the sun too long.

This fall she was one of five students from around the country who won a $500 scholarship from LupusChick for an essay she wrote about her experience. LupusChick is a nonprofit that provides lupus patients with resources and support.

“The insecurities are always there, but I have learned to be secure in more than my appearance,” Bosma wrote. “I can be confident in my inner beauty and know that those who truly love me accept me for who I am and not based on appearance.”

LupusChick was founded in 2007 by Marisa Zeppieri-Caruana. Zeppieri-Caruana was diagnosed with lupus in 2001, and at the time resources for the disease were scant, she said.

“A lot of the young women that I was meeting felt pretty alone,” she said.

Since then support has grown. However, Bosma said she often feels isolated.

“It makes me feel kind of alone because there is no one I can relate to,” Bosma said. “You learn a lot when you have to deal with something no one else has.”

Bosma noticed something was wrong in middle school. She stopped growing, her hair started falling out, she got sick often and red spots appeared on her skin. At that point, Bosma said, she had the body of a “90-pound sixth-grader” and was constantly fatigued.

Cutaneous lupus is one of four kinds of lupus; it primarily affects the skin. Its symptoms can be managed by diet and sleep. Bosma doesn’t eat dairy or gluten, tries to get nine hours of sleep every night and avoids the sun. She’s been in remission for about a year.

“During the summer it’s really hard,” Bosma said. “Everyone wants to go to the lake, and I’m the one wearing long sleeves and under an umbrella.”

No one knows what causes lupus, although environmental factors and genetics are thought to be factors, Zeppieri-Caruana said. About 1.5 million Americans have lupus. Roughly 90 percent are women, according to the Lupus Foundation of America.

There’s no cure for lupus, Bosma said. Symptoms persist indefinitely, and the best outcome is remission.

“I personally have never been in a remission,” Zeppieri-Caruana said. “I feel pretty bad.”

Knowing that she will have lupus the rest of her life angers Bosma. However, she said the disease has made her stronger and more confident.

“I’ve slowly gotten better at accepting it,” she said. “A lot of times I feel really bad for myself … I need to realize how lucky I am.”