09/02/2026
Almost finished: the first two portraits from A Thousand Faces.
Lupus is known as the disease of a thousand faces because it rarely looks the same from one person to the next. I did not ask for this face of illness, but here we are.
Some people have even morally judged those of us who speak openly about lupus, as if raising awareness means exploiting our suffering.
I wish lupus were profitable. Perhaps then it could help pay the thousands of dollars in medical expenses it creates. My monthly infusion alone costs me more than $900, even with insurance, in case you ever wondered what survival costs.
This disease has silenced so many of us. It has taken me to places where death felt more merciful than another day of relentless pain.
And yet, I am still here.
Painting the faces lupus tries to hide.
Beginning with my own.
A Thousand Faces in watercolor on Yupo paper.
30” H x 60” W
Www.artbystellachang.com
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