Editor's Note: This first-person account is written by Taylor Robertson, a University of Dayton junior majoring in media production with a focus on journalism and an All-Atlantic 10 performer on the Flyer track and field team

DAYTON – May 10, 2015. The day my life changed forever. I was 15 years old and about to finish my freshman year of high school. Leading up to that day, I lived a carefree, healthy life. With my father being in the Air Force, my mom took care of my sister and me as we traveled the world together.

Once my dad retired, we found our permanent home in Huber Heights, Ohio. It was not long after that, my sister and I began elementary school and started gymnastics. I competed as a gymnast for 14 years, dreaming of the day I would be on the U.S Olympic team. Gymnastics taught me early on what it takes to dedicate every day of your life to something.

I was 12 years old with multiple state titles and represented the state of Ohio at the USA Gymnastics Nationals in Orlando, Fla. This was my last competition as a gymnast and the best performance of my career, winning a national title on the uneven bars. Not long after, I suffered a severe back injury. I fell off the uneven bars and was rushed to the emergency room. I was never the same gymnast after that fall. I decided to try competitive cheerleading, placing 11th in the World with that team. In 2015, I started high school where I found my love for track and field. I met Michael Fernandez, the head track coach at Wayne High School, who showed an infinite amount of confidence in me.

My freshman outdoor track season started off strong. I was thriving on the shuttle hurdle relay team, running with three seniors. Leading up to the conference meet, I slowly became extremely ill. It all happened very gradually. I started feeling very fatigued, taking multiple naps throughout the day and sleeping for 10 hours at night. Then I experienced joint pain, swelling and stiffness, which turned out to be rheumatoid arthritis. I just kept thinking, "Wow, I am out of shape."

I took a vacation with my mom to South Carolina, where I got sunburned so bad it looked like someone threw fire at my face. The entire way home from the trip, I was miserable. I couldn't keep my eyes open and my face, shoulders, and legs were covered in blisters. I immediately went to the hospital to get, what we thought was, sun poisoning treated. After the doctor heard my list of symptoms, I was sent to a rheumatologist at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. This was the day my life changed forever.

After multiple tests and consultations with different doctors, I was diagnosed with lupus. My immediate reaction was to assume that they could give me a shot or an antibiotic and it would go away. I was wrong. Lupus is a rare incurable autoimmune disease that affects every organ in the body, which explains the rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease that is a direct symptom. To put it in lighter terms, my body is basically confused. Instead of fighting off disease and illness, my body just fights whatever, whenever it wants. I began taking medication multiple times a day and living in the hospital. This was all a daze to me, I was silently freaking out the entire time but felt I needed to be strong and just shake all of it off.

The worst part of it all was hearing my doctor tell me he was not sure if I was going to be able to continue to run. I already felt like I was not a normal teenager, and now sports – something I deeply cared about – I thought was slipping away. The rest of the summer, I was struggling to get used to my new normal, feeling bad for myself the whole time.

I began my sophomore year of high school and decided I was not ready to retire.

Coach Fernandez took me under his wing, acting as my second dad. He studied what Lupus was and how to make sure that I could be successful and healthy. Not only did he personalize workouts for me, he was always the loudest coach cheering at the finish line. He brought me out of a really dark place, and I qualified for state in the long jump all in the same year.

I changed my perspective after that year. Although I had this disease that I despised and didn't even fully understand, my attitude was the reason I was suffering.

The obstacles Lupus threw at me, started to get easier to jump. Each one added an extra layer of skin, making me a stronger person. I decided to focus on the blessings that Lupus brought me instead of the hardships.

My senior year, I was getting ready to run the 100m hurdles at the district meet. If I did not have at least the third fastest time, my season was over. Just 15 minutes before my heat, I was hunched over in the bathroom with a severe kidney infection – my third kidney infection that season. But, there was no way I wasn't running. I sat on the ground as my mom tied up my spikes and then I stepped up to the line.

I, quite literally, put my blood, sweat, and tears into that race. I qualified to go to Regionals and made history being the first female athlete at Wayne High School to qualify for state in four events. I felt on top of the world, I was so proud of myself for not allowing Lupus to take my season away from me. I swore I would never let it take anything away from me ever again.

The most amazing part of it all, was that not many people knew what I had gone through to get there. Lupus is an invisible illness, you can't look at me and know that I suffer from it.

I always felt like people were viewing me differently or pitying me. That wasn't true at all. People viewed me as an athlete. They knew me for the history I made, not for my disease. I gained wisdom realizing this. I began to wonder what people around me were secretly going through. I couldn't help but feel this empathy for everyone and realize how kindness really goes a long way.

Fast forward to my sophomore year in college at University of Dayton. I made history by having the second-best long jump in program history and placed second at the Indoor Atlantic 10 Conference Championship in the pole vault.

I still suffer from my infamous kidney infections and definitely still have really hard days. The only difference now is that I always get up. I refuse to let my disease take one more minute of my life away.

Although track and field is still the love of my life, I found a love for journalism this past summer as well. I began hosting a series of live interviews called On the Fly. This was the perfect experience for me because each student-athlete I interview has a unique story that I would have never had the pleasure of knowing without this platform. I was able to gain new relationships and highlight their lives in a positive way.

The message that I would like to convey is that life will throw unexpected struggles your way, but you can choose to gain strength from them. Ask for help, find a support system, and never stop moving forward. I would like to thank "Coach Fern" for his consistent loyalty and perseverance that ultimately changed my life.
 
To learn more about lupus, visit lupus.org