Health Blogging Month Day 24: My Mascot

My Mascot! Give your condition, community, or self a mascot. Who is it? What do they represent? What is their battle cry?




If I have a mascot it's my snarling wolf.

I made him as a tee-shirt design, trying to say what I think about lupus. (Yes, he is available at the shirt shop. I've ordered a singlet with him on for the gym.)

I can see him in a couple of different ways.

Firstly, the reason lupus has its name is that some time way back in history someone looked at a lupie and said: "That rash looks like a wolf bit you."

So the wolf fits with the whole history of lupus. Butterflies also get associated with lupus because one of the rashes can look butterfly-shaped as it spreads across the nose and cheeks.

There's something magnificent, compelling, about the wolf - but he's also very dangerous. We are taught from early childhood not to mess with the big bad wolf.

But, we're also taught, through the adventures of Red Riding Hood, Peter and the Wolf, and the Three Little Pigs, that if you're smart, hardworking, have someone strong on your side, or just plain lucky, you can beat the wolf.

So lupus bites, it snarls and threatens. But you know what, the big, bad wolf doesn't always win.

Now let's look at this magnificent animal from another perspective. He is strong. He lives in a tough environment and he knows how to survive. Sound like anyone you know, lupies? Yup. We've been put in a tough environment, and we've learned how to be tough, how to survive.


This post was written as part of NHBPM - 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J