My Lupus Journey

by AIDA founder, Jessica Impiazzi

In early 2023, I felt something inside me wasn’t quite right. For years, I’d been the kind of person who thrived on movement most mornings kicked off with a 5k run, often followed by a gym session later in the day. But suddenly, my body wasn’t cooperating. Something was shifting, and I couldn’t ignore it.

At the time, my life was overflowing with stress. My father was dying of lung cancer, and as his only support, I carried that heartbreak daily. I was also juggling demanding work on TV shows and series always smiling for the cameras while inside I was breaking. On top of that, I was trapped in a turbulent relationship, and my past was still haunting me: unhealed childhood trauma from years of witnessing violence and manipulation. Looking back, my body was under siege. Stress was flooding my system. It was, without question, a recipe for disaster.

By August 2023, the storm finally hit: I was diagnosed with Lupus. My face, chest, and arms were covered in angry rashes. My knees, hands, and shoulders were swollen. Even my eye sockets puffed painfully. The chronic fatigue was indescribable something only those who’ve lived it can truly understand.

Oddly enough, part of me felt relief. At least I had an answer. A name. I thought medication would “fix” everything and life would soon be back to normal. But Lupus doesn’t work like that. There is no cure. Coming to terms with this reality was crushing.

And yet… slowly, I realized true healing wasn’t just about medicine. It was about me my story, my nervous system, the stress I had carried for so long. I had become the girl who couldn’t say no, the woman who lived on edge, never fully safe in her own body. Eventually, my immune system had had enough. My body was screaming what my voice never could.

Still, I refused to accept this as my forever. I started searching desperately, obsessively for answers. I read everything I could about remission. I was losing my hair, my energy, my sense of self, but I wasn’t ready to give up.

That’s when I discovered the power of lifestyle in managing autoimmune conditions. Gut health. Sleep. Movement. Environment. Stress. Piece by piece, I rebuilt my life around these pillars, combining them with my medical treatment. Slowly, something shifted. My symptoms began to ease. My energy returned. Until one day, I reached remission.

No, Lupus hasn’t disappeared. It’s still there, waiting, ready to flare if I fall off track. But now, I know my triggers. I know how to support my body. And most importantly, I know healing is possible.

I couldn’t have done it alone. I worked with incredible experts who guided me through gut health, sleep hygiene, nervous system regulation but finding the right people was overwhelming. There was no single place where someone like me, living with autoimmune disease, could find trusted practitioners who really understood.

So, I decided to create one.

That’s why I founded AIDA: a space where people like us—people navigating the challenges of autoimmune conditions can finally find the support they need under one roof. A community built on expertise, hope, and healing.

Because no one should have to walk this journey alone.