Kane native, Dr. Patricia Gelatko is a 42-year-old woman who lives with her family. She has two well loved golden retrievers, Emma and Jemma, likes crafting, and traveling when she can. She believes in hard work ethic and for shooting for the stars to get what you want in life. Her favorite quote is that of Ralph Waldo Emerson: “To know that even one life has breathed easier because I have lived. That is to have succeeded.”

One wouldn’t know it by simply looking at her, but Gelatko is one of the 1.5 million Americans, and at least five million people worldwide, who have a form of lupus. Symptoms of this autoimmune disease can come with a plethora of symptoms including fatigue, fever, joint pain, swelling, skin lesions, shortness of breath, chest pains, headaches, confusion and memory loss. With an autoimmune disease, one’s immune system, which usually fights infections, instead attacks health tissue. In the case of lupus, this most often affects the internal organs, such as the kidneys and the heart.

Depending on the severity of their illness, many individuals with lupus are able to continue to work and engage in other activities in their lives, albeit sometimes with adjustments in their environment or work schedule, thus just looking at them, one may never suspect anything is wrong.

As the old saying goes, you can’t always judge a book by its cover.

This is something Dr. Patricia Gelatko would like the general public to know about the disease — Although they may not be visible to the naked eye, lupus and other autoimmune diseases do exist.

“It is important to learn about this illness so that one can help others in need and be more understanding of the challenges that exist.”

Gelatko herself knows of the challenges, as she was diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus in 2007 after suddenly waking up one morning with a fever and severe groin pain. Luckily her primary care physician saw the signs early on and referred her to a specialist, though many go on suffering for years before they get a proper diagnosis.

On top of lupus, Gelatko was also diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia, compounding the symptoms she experiences. She currently takes multiple medications to help decrease the inflammation and pain.

She explained that the symptoms of the disease can change from day to day, hour to hour, minute by minute. Not only does she experience the common aforementioned symptoms of lupus, symptoms of depression have come alongside.

“I’ve suffered from big time depression as well,” she explained. “I’m limited in what I can and can’t do. I used to love to walk miles and miles. Now if I can do two blocks, I’m happy with that.”

Gelatko had previously worked as a clinical pharmacist for Warren General Hospital. After being diagnosed in 2007, she worked for another three years before quitting her career, which she loved.

“I was having more lupus flare ups,” she said. “Every year, my quality of life has diminished.”

In talking to The Era, Gelatko wanted to get the word out for people to be open minded that there are real illnesses out there that people may not be able to readily see.

“I always get people saying ‘you look great’, and I get that, but deep inside, my body is dying,” she said. “I want people to recognize that it’s a horrific illness — it may not kill people like other diseases, but it affects people so much in many different ways.”

Gelatko hopes that people will become more aware of and educate themselves on lupus and other autoimmune disorders so they can be more understanding of others.

“I always hear the phrase ‘ignorance is bliss,’ so if you don’t know about it then it’s not going to affect your life,” she said. “If you do learn about it though, you can change the world for the better.”

She said it’s the little things, like people making a simple phone call, sending a card, giving rides to doctor’s appointments, or just listening to a person vent that means the world to someone with an autoimmune disease.

“Without God, family, close friends and doctors, I wouldn’t be here today,” noted Gelatko. “I believe that life is all about the little things. I enjoy helping others when I am able by praying for others, sending cards, or opening the door to a store. I would like to thank those who have sent cards; have kept me in their prayers; have offered rides to doctor’s appointments.”