When Sabrina Scott was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease as a teenager, she wondered what she had done to deserve it. Her first instinct was to comb through her memories to try to figure out what bad thing she had done.
Only 14 years old, the worst she could remember was the many times she had told her brother she hated him during an argument. Why else would God allow this hardship in her life?
After months of exhaustion, arthritis, and sleeping more than 12 hours each day, doctors finally determined Sabrina had lupus. The condition was so painful that there were nights Sabrina went to bed believing she would never wake up.
Sabrina struggled with depression and anxiety about her health. Eventually doctors found a combination of medications that allowed her to function, but she lived in constant fear of a flare up. She felt she had no control over her health or her life. She tried to be content with just getting by.
For the most part, Sabrina accepted that lupus was her new normal. As she finished high school and then went to college, her expectations for her future were low. She believed lupus was in control, and there was nothing she could do about it.
But then Sabrina began dating the man who would become her husband. At the same time they were planning their wedding, she began to experience symptoms. By the time they went on their honeymoon, Sabrina was very sick and couldn’t wait to get home to see a doctor. When she did, the news was not good: lupus was causing serious damage to her kidneys.
But her reaction this time was different. Instead of resignation to whatever lupus might bring, for the first time Sabrina sensed God was prompting her to ask for His help. When she did, it was as if the flood gates opened.
Hear Sabrina’s encouraging story in Chapter 52 of Epic.