Lupus, an autoimmune disease, affects five million people worldwide, one of which that goes to Roseville High School. When she was 10 years old, doctors told junior Bianca Lara that she has Lupus.

“I didn’t really know what it was,” Lara said. “I got really sick for two months; my hands started swelling, my hips hurt and I couldn’t really walk up the stairs.”

Lara would later be told that she would need to stop doing some of the activities she loved most.

“Later on [doctors] told me that I couldn’t play softball because of my joints and stuff, which really really sucked,” Lara said. “We decided to go get a second opinion in San Francisco and he actually told me that it’s better for me to play sports because my joints won’t get so stiff, so I started playing again.”

In order to raise awareness for Lupus, Lara, her family and her closest friends started participating in an annual walk in San Francisco.

“I’m pretty sure I was 12 years old, and my cousin was looking up stuff to see what we can do to raise awareness,” Lara said. “[The run] came up and it was like 10 of us maybe, and we just put on purple shirts and went on the walk. It’s in San Francisco at the Golden Gate Park.”

Lara finds comfort in being surrounded by those she loves and those who also have the disease.

“It’s really cool to see everyone there,” Lara said. “It’s really good to have support from all them because they tell me to keep fighting, and when it was hard, I knew they were there for me so I knew I wasn’t alone in a way.”

According to Lara’s mom Veronica, the amount of family members that attend has exponentially grown through the years.

“We come from a very big family. My husband’s family and my family [attend],” Veronica said. “She has really close friends that always support her. When she gets sick they always bring her support.”

Veronica admires the way in which Lara handles Lupus, despite having to deal with difficult circumstances.

“I am super proud of her in a way she shakes off at times. I’m very proud she has kept faith through it all because if you have to have faith, it will give you strength,” Veronica said.

Junior Madison Abel, one of Lara’s closest friends, recognizes how strong Lara is to always maintain a positive attitude and lifestyle.

“We’ve been friends since first grade. I think it’s really unfortunate and sad that she has Lupus but she handles it really well and is never discouraged by it, which I think is super impressive,” Abel said. “She’s always super happy. So we started going on the Lupus runs because we really wanted to support her and her family does it too.”

PE teacher Greg Granucci believes that due to Lara’s passion, she is in line to have a bright future.

“I think she’s going to be really successful in whatever she tries to do. She has good drive and knows how to set goals and work hard to achieve goals,” Granucci said. “She’s very determined and I think she’s going to be super successful.”

According to Veronica, Lara keeps a positive mindset each day, and even offers support when Lara needs it.

“She’s super positive,” Veronica said. “ I’ve always told her, ‘You have Lupus, Lupus doesn’t have you.’”