Today we’d like to introduce you to Emmitt Henderson III.
Emmitt, before we jump into specific questions about your organization, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My name is Emmitt Henderson III. I am 25% African American and 75% Filipino male 49yrs old. I was born in the Philippines but raised in San Diego Ca. I was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus in 1995. However, as a kid, I was maybe 10-11 years old, I had a bad skin rash that gave me a lot of irritation, itching, scarring and fevers for over a year. I was treated at the hospital but back then, the doctors didn’t know what the diagnosis was. They treated me with a skin cream, they told me to stay out of the sun and to not eat seafood. In other words, that was the best they can do at that time. My rheumatologist today, suspected it was an autoimmune disease called Discoid Lupus of the skin that went into remission, then resurfaced 15yrs later as Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (an autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks its tissues. It can affect the joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, brain, heart and lungs).
Since diagnosed, my Lupus has gotten so aggressive and with so many flares, I was in the hospital an average of one week a month for almost a year. The doctors suggested for me to participate in a new clinical trial, a bone marrow stem cell transplant, Through the years, I went through chemotherapy and radiation treatments for two years, I had a port surgically put into my arm for the treatments as well for blood transfusions and weekly blood draws. I was on peritoneal dialysis for over a year for my kidneys then I had a kidney transplant, my younger brother was my donor, I had avascular necrosis in my joints that led to a left shoulder replacement and a right knee replacement, with opposite joint replacements possibly needed both sides at a later time.
Lupus also affected my heart, and when that happened, it put me in the hospital for three months, during that time I was put into a medically induced coma and after three weeks, I had to go to rehab to relearn to walk, talk and use all my limbs. I have about 80% use of my lungs because of Lupus scarring, I developed ulcers in my throat and esophagus where my throat closed at one point, and I had to eat from a feeding tube for over a week. Lupus has also affected my liver, pancreas, skin, my gall bladder was removed. Lupus caused my finger and toenails to become black and I had a loss of hair, I also developed shingles and gout through the years, that left no feeling in parts of my body and I had a stroke in 2018.
I’m currently going through a brain issue that the doctors are diagnosing as Encephalopathy (a broad term for a brain disease) I have a white matter on my brain that they cannot identify, which this is causing me to have headaches and migraines. Till they direct me on the next step for treatment or a solution, I’m patiently dealing with this every day. Despite a host of biopsy’s, surgeries, and many hospital stays, I managed to still have a working career in the automotive and trucking industry. I traveled and sustained, in my opinion, a good life.
My experience through it all has made me more active in advocating and educating about Lupus and Mental Health. Since diagnosed in 1995, Lupus statistics are that 90% of women have Lupus to only 10% of men and, it was identified to be more common older white women. Today Lupus is identified now to be more prevalent among women of color, African American, Hispanics/Latinos, Asians, Native Americans, Pacific Islanders than among White women. Statistics say 1 in 537 young African American women will be diagnosed with Lupus and still rare for men but the numbers of men diagnosed are rising.
I’m receiving inquiries and questions from women asking about my experience with Lupus and if my symptoms are different coming from a male. Because of this, I felt I wanted to promote a brand for men letting everyone know that men can have Lupus too. I created my new brand called “Male Lupus Warriors”. You can find MLW on social media through Facebook and Instagram, It is open to all men and women who either have the disease or wants to read quotes and facts about the disease. My goal is to educate about Lupus and how mental health plays a big part when dealing with this disease. I’m also in process of writing a book on my life experience with Lupus and how I felt my mental health got me through the years and how I overcame the worse that this disease put me through. I held lectures at three different colleges about Lupus and mental health, I get the honor to speak at 2 different locations for the Lupus Foundation of Southern Ca in March 2020 as well.
Despite living with Lupus, I’m VP of Operations for a wonderful organization called Hugs and Bags that is founded by my girlfriend Jacqueline Penhos. We are a 501c3 nonprofit organization. Our mission is to provide food, clothing, toiletries, hair cuts and resources to the community. We hold events once a month servicing the homeless, veterans, single parents and children. Giving back to the community is my passion as it is to advocate for Lupus. You’ll always find me either advocating for Lupus or providing resources to the community. Between both activities, I consistently stay busy.
As President of Male Lupus Warriors, I want to encourage people that no one has to be a victim of their illness, that with good support, medication, diet, medical attention and self-care, any disease can be manageable. Although being challenged with this disease, I Live every day to accomplish my goal of being the best person I can be, to uplift those that are hindered because of this illness and to be the Best example of Life Living with Lupus Emmitt Henderson III.
Has it been a smooth road?
Not at all. Because Lupus is unpredictable, at my worse, I could not plan my days. It was hard to perform tasks at home, driving was hard because of nausea and it was hard to keep a schedule at work, I could feel fine to work one day, then the next my body could shut down, then I’m off for two to three days. When this happened, it affected me financially.
Please tell us about your organization.
Male Lupus Warriors LLC was created by myself to represent the 10% of men diagnosed with Lupus. The mission is to advocate for Lupus and spread awareness to men and women about the disease. Because there is a need to talk about men with Lupus, I’m proud that my testimony alone can tell a unique story. My history and trials with Lupus is a complete turn around from the way you physically see me. I’m active and do not appear to be sick. That’s what sets Lupus patients apart, We don’t look sick, but we are.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I was raised in San Diego and Love it here. It is the ideal city to live in because the fabulous weather plays a role in Lupus patients. I also like the fact that from central San Diego, within 1 hour, you can drive in either direction and visit the ocean, desert, mountains and another country. The least I like about the city, in comparison to other cities, is how expensive it is to live here. For example, gas prices are ridiculous and the average rent to live in a studio apartment is the same you’ll pay for living in a house in another city.
Contact Info:
- Phone: 619 200-1952
- Email: malelupuswarriors@gmail.com
- Instagram: @malelupuswarriors
- Facebook: @malelupuswarriors
Image Credit:
Emmitt Henderson III
Jacqueline Penhos
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