Shannon Boxx Opens Up About Her Lupus Journey

Summary

Podcast Summary: Welcome to the Party – Shannon Boxx Opens Up About Her Lupus Journey

Date: May 28, 2026
Hosts: Abby Wambach, Julie Foudy, Billie Jean King
Guests: Shannon Boxx (USWNT legend), Emma Peyton (Indiana University D1 athlete), Dr. Susan Manzi (Medical Director, Lupus Foundation of America)

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Episode Overview

This episode centers on the lived experiences of elite athletes battling lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease. With May marking Lupus Awareness Month, the hosts shine a light on how this frequently invisible illness impacts women—especially high-performing athletes like Soccer Hall of Famer Shannon Boxx. The conversation also features Division I goalie Emma Peyton and lupus medical expert Dr. Susan Manzi.

The episode addresses the challenges of playing elite-level sports while managing a chronic illness, the stigma and difficulties of being diagnosed, and the power of community and advocacy in supporting those with hidden health battles.

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Key Conversation Points and Insights

1. Introduction to the Challenges of Invisible Illness in Sports

• [01:05–02:26]
  Julie Foudy introduces the topic: Lupus is an autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks healthy tissue, leading to pain, fatigue, and organ damage.

  “Imagine trying to play elite, even Olympic level sports while your own body is fighting itself from the inside out. That’s exactly what Shannon Boxx did for years, y’all.” – Julie Foudy (01:05)

• Hosts highlight alarming lupus statistics:
  • 1.5 million Americans affected, 90% of them women and young women.
  • Symptoms are unpredictable, often invisible, leading to late diagnoses.

2. Maya Johnson’s Story: Setting the Scene for Boxx

• [02:26–06:28]
  • Julie Foudy and Abby Wambach recount the story of NCAA star pitcher Maya Johnson, her lupus diagnosis at 15, her journey through college softball, battles with chemotherapy, and her unwavering loyalty to her supportive team.
  • Johnson chose to stay at her college, turning down lucrative offers, because “these are the people who believed in me when no one else did.” (04:08)
• This story frames the broader challenge: balancing chronic illness with the demands of elite sport.

3. Shannon Boxx: Lupus in the Shadows

• [09:24 & 11:05–21:37]
• Boxx describes lupus as a “chronic autoimmune disease that can cause inflammation and pain anywhere in your body ... your immune system gets confused and starts actually attacking your healthy tissue instead of foreign invaders.”
• First symptoms:
  • Early clues in high school (Raynaud’s—white, numb fingers), college (migraines), and full-blown symptoms in 2002 as a pro.

    “I could barely walk up my second-story apartment ... I felt like my legs were in quicksand.” (13:01)

  • Culture of pushing through pain as an athlete meant not recognizing symptoms as abnormal.
• Diagnosis struggle:
  • Multiple doctors, misdiagnoses (first with Sjogren’s, then eventually lupus).
  • Felt she couldn’t tell coaches or teammates due to stigma and fear of losing her spot.

    “If I want to continue playing... I can’t tell anybody this.” (15:23)

• Isolation and secrecy:
  • Confided only in Christy Pierce as a teammate (“She’s a vault.” – 19:32)
• Eventually went public (2012):
  • Relief in sharing: “The relief that I felt... I’d been holding this thing in for so long. To be able to tell you guys and for you to just ask questions ... That allowed me to play till 2015. Honestly. 100%.” (21:04)

4. Living and Training with Lupus

• [23:27–26:58]
  • Example: Training in Florida heat led to rashes and flares; sensitivity to sun and heat forced her to radically adjust routines.

    “I just need shade and to sit for a second. And then you got up and went back to practice…” – Julie Foudy (23:53)

  • Had to be hyper-aware of triggers and learn to listen to her body.
  • Adapted her training with the help of PT Jim Herkimer and USWNT strength & conditioning coach Dawn Scott.

    “You can’t train the way you used to train. You just can’t. And he [PT] extended my career, too, because I was more self-aware.” – Shannon Boxx (26:45)

5. Supporting Each Other: The Power of Teammates

• [22:04; 19:34]
  • Fellow hosts reflect on Boxx’s underrated contributions, notably during the famous 2011 Brazil World Cup match.

    “Shannon Boxx and Christy Rampone … kept us in games, kept the other team from scoring. People don’t know this.” – Abby Wambach (22:04)

• Boxx credits support (once she opened up) for extending her career.

6. Emma Peyton’s Story: The Next Generation

• [29:28–31:24]
  • Emma Peyton describes reaching out to Boxx after diagnosis for mentorship. Meeting as a teen was a lifeline:

    “We were like, ‘Why don’t I come over to your house and we meet and share stories.’” – Emma Peyton (30:22)

  • Peyton’s major question: “Could she keep playing?” Inspired by Boxx’s journey.

7. Medical Perspective: Dr. Susan Manzi

• [31:56–37:36]
  • Dr. Manzi: “Shows like this save lives ... the impact you have is extraordinary.” (31:57)
  • Lupus typically strikes young women (15–45), but can affect children.
  • Symptoms: “Profound fatigue...you hit a wall, you can’t move”, skin rashes, joint pain, variable presentation. (32:35)
  • Diagnosis is complex; no single test—requires a combination of symptoms, lab markers, and history. Many patients see 4+ providers first.
  • Over 100 autoimmune diseases exist—many under the radar.

8. The Emotional Journey and Stigma

• [39:20–40:37]
  • Boxx: “It was relief to me ... finally there’s a diagnosis. Because for me, now I can attack it ... how do I get over this so that I can continue to play and live?”
  • Peyton: Diagnosis was more frightening for her parents; kids may not know what “normal” feels like.

9. Living with Triggers and Flares

• [40:52–46:42]
  • Peyton: “My biggest trigger is also the sun ... after long practices, I can feel it for a few days afterwards.”
  • Boxx: Even now, has to find the balance and sometimes overdoes it (“I played a basketball game – probably shouldn’t have done that.”)

10. Lifestyle Adjustments and Advice

• [44:44–47:08]
  • Peyton: Adapting recovery, hydration, sleep, nutrition.
  • Boxx: Gluten-free diet works for her; had to abandon some old training routines.
  • Dr. Manzi: Encourages “everything non-drug”—rest, diet, self-advocacy.

11. Advice for Athletes with Lupus

• [48:00–48:55]
  • Peyton: “You can do what you want and your lupus won’t stop you.”

    “Coming out with my story and telling those around me ... let me feel supported ... my coaches here are supportive ... I think knowing that you have people around you ... is so important.” – Emma Peyton (48:07)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Shannon Boxx on hiding her condition:

  “If I want to continue playing, especially at the national team level, I can’t tell anybody this.” (15:23)

• Abby Wambach on Boxx’s on-field heroics:

  “Shannon single-handedly made that game possible for us to even have a chance to tie it at the end.” (22:04)

• Dr. Susan Manzi on the power of awareness:

  “Shows like this save lives ... the impact you have is extraordinary.” (31:57)

• Emma Peyton on finding support:

  “Hearing how Shannon made it through so long and for such a high level was really inspirational.” (31:01)

• Julie Foudy, candid about teammate guilt:

  “I feel like I’m a crappy teammate too. That I didn’t have more awareness ... to help you.” (23:27)

• Discussion of the quiz game:
  A running, lighthearted lupus awareness quiz at the end, which leads to playful, competitive banter.

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Key Segment Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment / Topic | |---------------|--------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:05 | Framing the episode: Lupus and athletic performance | | 03:13–05:30 | Maya Johnson’s story | | 11:27–22:04 | Shannon Boxx’s lupus journey, symptoms, diagnosis struggles | | 23:49 | Boxx describes heat/sun as triggers; in-practice anecdote | | 26:45 | Adapting training routines, support from PT and coach | | 31:01 | Emma Peyton’s first meeting with Boxx | | 31:57 | Dr. Manzi joins, overview of lupus symptoms and prevalence | | 40:52 | Peyton’s day-to-day triggers and symptom management | | 44:44 | Discussion: How athletes manage limitations | | 48:07 | Peyton’s advice to young athletes with lupus | | 49:01–53:53 | Lupus quiz game (Boxx, Peyton, Wambach, Foudy) |

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Lupus Resources & Advocacy

• Lupus Foundation of America: lupus.org

  “Honestly, if anybody wants information: lupus.org—they are the source of truth.” – Dr. Susan Manzi (53:56)

• Shannon’s annual ‘Sip & Support’ wine fundraiser: Over $128,000 raised for lupus support.

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Wrap-up Reflections

• Abby and Julie recap the episode’s big lessons:
  • The hidden impact of invisible illness.
  • The delay and stigma in diagnosis.
  • The heroism of athletes like Boxx and Peyton for their openness and advocacy.
• The importance of self-advocacy and social support:

  “...autoimmune diseases are real. Because I think so much of the difficulty of the diagnosis makes it feel like, like you don’t know...if it’s hard to be a diagnosed disease, the people in your community or your family might just be like, get over it.” – Abby Wambach (55:37)

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Takeaways for Listeners

• Lupus is far more common than many realize—especially among women.
• Delay in diagnosis is frequent; self-advocacy is critical.
• Invisible illness can affect even the most seemingly ‘invincible’ athletes.
• Sharing stories can directly save lives and build supportive communities.
• Adjusting lifestyle and training is essential for longevity.
• A supportive environment—teammates, coaches, medical professionals—makes a profound difference.

For further information or support, listeners are directed to lupus.org.

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For anyone who hasn’t listened:
This episode is a powerful, honest conversation about resilience—on the field, in the doctor’s office, and within the heart. Whether you live with chronic illness or know someone who does, the insights and stories shared are both deeply human and universally inspiring.

Transcript

[Shannon Box]

I couldn't move. I felt like my legs were in quicksand. I never had felt that much fatigue and that much pain. And I just started crying because I was like, I don't know.

[Abby Wambach]

Something's wrong with me.

[Shannon Box]

Like, I can't move. If I want to continue playing, especially at the national team level, I can't tell anybody this.

[Julie Foudy]

Oh, gosh.

[Shannon Box]

I'd been holding this thing in for so long.

[Dr. Susan Manzi]

Shows like this save lives. Like, I don't know if you appreciate the impact you have.

[Julie Foudy]

I understand Shannon has a game for us, which I.

[Abby Wambach]

Yes. This is so exciting. I can't wait. I'm gonna kick your ass, Julie. Ud Light.

[Julie Foudy]

See, I said it.

[Shannon Box]

I said it first.

[Julie Foudy]

I said it first.

[Emma Peyton]

Attention,

[Abby Wambach]

the party is about to commence.

[Julie Foudy]

Welcome to the party. What's up, party?

[Abby Wambach]

What's up, party people? I'm Abby W. I'm Julie F. I'm Julie Foudy.

[Shannon Box]

Ah. We did that at the same time,

[Julie Foudy]

and we didn't even rehearse it. I'm Billy Jean King. Oh, all right.

[Abby Wambach]

Hi. Hi, Dres.

[Julie Foudy]

Hi, Abigail. We've got a really cool episode coming up because party people, imagine trying to play elite, even Olympic level sports while your own body is fighting itself from the inside out. And that's exactly what our former U.S. women's National Team teammate, Shannon Box did for years, y'. All. Years competing at the very highest level with lupus, a chronic disease where literally your immune system turns on you and attacks the healthy tissues in your body, and it causes pain and exhaustion and inflammation and potentially serious damage to organs like your kidneys, heart, and lungs. And since May is Lupus awareness month, and we love everything about Boxy, we wanted to close it out by shining a light on chronic illness and the athletes who are often fighting battles that no one else can see. So a couple statistics off the top. Lupus, this blew my mind. Affects an estimated 1.5 million Americans. And 90% of those people living with lupus, Abigail, Are women and young women.

[Abby Wambach]

Why the heck is this?

[Julie Foudy]

Symptoms are unpredictable, often invisible, and so they go undetected for years. And fatigue is one of the most debilitating symptoms. And so people say, ah, you're fine. You just need to rest more. And so it just keeps going undetected, which is exactly why we wanted to talk about it and shine a light on it today. And before we bring on Shannon, there's another athlete we couldn't stop thinking about while we were putting this episode together. And I don't know if you guys have been following this. But you should be heading in to the NCAA College World Series. Belmont University pitcher Maya Johnson was one of the best softball players in the country. She was 27 and 2 with a 0.61era.

[Abby Wambach]

Wow.

[Julie Foudy]

So that's earned run average, meaning people were scoring less than a run against her per game when she pitched, leading the nation in most major pitching categories. And she was one of the finalists for USA Softball's Collegiate Player of the Year.

[Abby Wambach]

I mean, Jules, her story, I feel like, is just so incredible. And she was diagnosed with lupus at 15 years old, and she's battled the disease, right? Like, so she was emerging as a softball star. Even earned a scholarship to Pittsburgh. But after concerns around her medical clearance and her health, Pitt essentially withdrew the offer. And Maya then landed at Belmont College in Tennessee, where she helped lead them back to back Missouri Valley Conference championships and consecutive NCAA Turns tournament appearances. Jules. And then here, listen to this. Just before this season, the disease attacked her kidneys. Maya went through 10 weeks of chemotherapy. You. She said that they were. That there were moments that she seriously considered quitting softball because the exhaustion and the pain were just too overwhelming. And I love this part, Jules. Her teammates were driving her to treatment, staying with her at the hospital until like, three in the morning, and helping take care of her when she was essentially too sick. Sick to function.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah. And then on top of that, she's also pursuing a doctorate in nursing and wants to become a family nurse practitioner in large part. And inspired by her own experiences having to navigate lupus and the healthcare system. And this, this. This is the bit that I was like, oh, my gosh, this woman, Maya, with all her success, she's now received a lot of transfer offers. So big money, almost half a million dollars for major softball programs. Right. Coming into this season. But get this. Maya chose to stay at Belmont University because she said, these are the people who believed in me when no one else did. Sadly, Belmont's incredible season just came to an end. After falling to the number one seed, they got. They got seeded against Alabama. That's brutal. The number one seed in the first round of regionals. But this isn't the end for Maya. She was also selected number three overall by the Oklahoma City Spark after receiving an Athletes Unlimited Softball League golden ticket given to her by my friend Jess Mendoza. I saw that on Instagram. It was so rad. And she starts playing professional in June. Okay, then. Coming up after the break, over 76% of American adults live with at least one chronic illness. I'll say that again. Over 76% of American adults live with at least one chronic illness, but very few are trying to balance weight training, non stop conditioning, intense running, international travel, pressure packed competition, and everything else that comes with being an Olympic level athlete. Three time Olympic gold medalist, Shannon Box is going to share her story with us coming up next.

[Abby Wambach]

Jules, we have a unique travel history, you and I. How many miles do you think that you've flown in your life?

[Julie Foudy]

Someone was just asking me, how many million miles are you a million miler on any airline? I was like, oh yeah, I, I'm a million miler on three airlines.

[Abby Wambach]

Same.

[Julie Foudy]

And I'm almost a 2 million miler on one of the airlines. Is that insane? And I do not say that with a ton of pride.

[Abby Wambach]

The facts, it feels like a lot. Okay, can you tell me what your favorite city you've ever traveled to with the team back in the day?

[Julie Foudy]

Oh, no question. The Algarve. I'll just say the region. Portugal.

[Abby Wambach]

Okay, Portugal, the region. And it's because you got to drink a lot of red wine and you were able to play golf.

[Julie Foudy]

Just red wine. We played golf, we ate crepes, we had Indian food. It's right on the water. You bought pottery.

[Abby Wambach]

Yeah.

[Julie Foudy]

I mean there's so many things, cute little seaside villages. You're in Europe, you're in Portugal.

[Abby Wambach]

Okay, so there's this one tournament I just wanted, I don't know if you remember this, but in 2004 we were down in Costa Rica. Do you remember this? Oh, yes.

[Julie Foudy]

I love this trip.

[Abby Wambach]

Okay. This is one of my favorite trips I ever went on because we did like all these fun sightseeing, river rafting, ziplining.

[Julie Foudy]

Yes.

[Abby Wambach]

And then the fruit. Do you remember the breakfasts?

[Julie Foudy]

Yes.

[Abby Wambach]

The fruit galore. Oh, so good.

[Julie Foudy]

Costa Rica's the best.

[Abby Wambach]

I do know the traveling around the world has made me into the person that I am. And I think that that is the reason why I love and I'm so proud of the time that I played because it's not just about representing my country. It's also about going out into the world and seeing other places and seeing how other people live and seeing what other cultures are like so that it can transform me into the person that I really want to be, you know, and going to this tournament in Costa Rica, getting the access to then go playing in the bigger tournament of our dreams. Whether if it's a FIFA World cup or an Olympic style tournament. To me, when big tournaments or events come to cities, it's a way to show off your culture. Right. And it's also a great opportunity to list your space on airbnb and earn some extra income. So if you're in a city hosting big events, tournaments, concerts, all of that, you already know thousands of fans are about to roll in, right? And it's the perfect time to put your place to work. So listing your space on airbnb is an easy way to bring in some extra cash. While the city will be, of course, buzzing, your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how [e-mail] host foreign.

[Julie Foudy]

People. Now it's time for the partiest part of our party. And today's guest is one of the most accomplished players in u. S. Soccer history, a World cup champion, three time Olympic gold medalist, nearly 200 caps for the U. S. Women's national team, national soccer hall of famer, a former national team teammate and current TNT broadcasting teammate. But behind all of that success, Shannon Box was carrying something physically and emotionally and all consuming that most people never even saw. For years, she competed at the absolute highest level while battling lupus, an autoimmune disease that can cause extreme fatigue, pain, inflammation, and symptoms that are often invisible to everyone around you. So today's conversation is about athletes trying to chase their dreams while navigating the physical, emotional, and mental toll of chronic illness. And later in the conversation, we'll be joined by Emma Peyton, a current Division 1 soccer player living with lupus, along with Dr. Susan Manzi, the medical director of the Lupus foundation of America. But first, it's Boxxy. Shannon Box, welcome to the party.

[Abby Wambach]

Shannon Box is here.

[Shannon Box]

Hi, guys.

[Abby Wambach]

I won medals and stuff with her. She's the best.

[Shannon Box]

Hi, teammates. How are we?

[Dr. Susan Manzi]

Hi, Boxy.

[Shannon Box]

I love this. We're doing this. Oh, my gosh. You guys are, you know, just. I love that you guys are helping me spread awareness about lupus and. And all the things. So I appreciate it.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah, we did mention already that May is lupus awareness month, so we are definitely helping spread awareness as well, much as we can, because, geez, I mean, your story, Shannon, I don't even think people, a lot of people know about it. First, can you tell us what lupus actually is and when you started as a player noticing that you were having issues? Yeah.

[Shannon Box]

Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease that can cause inflammation and pain anywhere in your body. And when you think about autoimmune diseases, you know, autoimmune, your immune system is there to protect you from viruses and infections, but in lupus patients and in autoimmune patients, Your immune system gets confused, and it starts actually attacking your healthy tissue instead of the foreign invaders, which is like a virus. And so it can attack anything in your body. And what it causes is that inflammation, debilitating fatigue, pain. And it can cause other symptoms as well, depending on where it's affected, where it's attacking. So you can have organ issues, you can have heart issues. There's just so many things that can happen within your body.

[Abby Wambach]

Now, I was your teammate when you were going through the process of this diagnosis. And what I want to know is, first of all, how did it present for you? Were there, like, because we had a whole medical team.

[Shannon Box]

Right.

[Abby Wambach]

And you would assume that something like this would be found instantly, but I think that you were living with it for quite a bit of time. Can you tell us the process and the story of how you were diagnosed?

[Shannon Box]

Yeah, when I first felt my symptoms was in 2002. I was playing with Julie on the San Diego Spirit and the wsa. And I mean, when I say these are the first times I felt like I had symptoms, I actually now look back and I had symptoms in college. I had symptoms in high school.

[Julie Foudy]

Oh, really?

[Shannon Box]

Yeah. But I didn't know that these were symptoms. I was. You as an athlete, you just push through everything. So you don't really think about, like, oh, this is odd. This is weir. But in. In college, I had these huge migraines. All of a sudden, migraines just started happening all the time. High school, I had Raynards, which is where your fingertips turn white, you know, and they kind of go numb.

[Julie Foudy]

I get that.

[Shannon Box]

Yeah. So it's like that's a symptom, really, of lupus? Yeah. I mean, yeah, not the only symptom, but yes, a symptom. And then, you know, when. In 2002, when I was playing, I could barely walk up my second story apartment. Like, I had to rest halfway through. And then the one day that I knew something was wrong, we were at training, we're playing a 5v5 little mini tournament, and I think I just walked off. I was playing 5v5. I think I just. I couldn't move. I felt like my legs were in quicksand. And I never had felt that much fatigue and that much pain. And I think I just walked off the field, and I think you guys were all like, what are you doing? And I just started crying because I was like, I don't know, something's wrong with me. Like, I can't move.

[Abby Wambach]

And.

[Shannon Box]

And that's the day I went. I ended up going to the doctor the next day. And eventually in that quick little span, I did get diagnosed with Sjogren's syndrome, or Sjogren's disease, and which is another autoimmune. It attacks your moisture producing glands, but it also causes that debilitating fatigue. And so that was kind of the start of it. And then the process just seemed so long. I. It was the next couple years of. I felt more and more pain. I started feeling joint pain, muscle fatigue, all of these things that I just kind of kept going to doctors. And we were living in different cities all the time. I. I started playing for New York and then I was back in la and so everywhere I went, I had.

[Julie Foudy]

And then you're playing with the national team as well eventually.

[Shannon Box]

And then I made the national team. And so I was even doing all that. I know.

[Julie Foudy]

When you look back, do you go like, oh my gosh, I was a superhuman woman?

[Abby Wambach]

No, I do.

[Shannon Box]

I think I just, I. It was my dream to play and I think there was so much fear of like, is this gonna stop me from doing what I love? And also am I doing more damage to my body because I'm playing at this level? In. I questioned myself a lot. It was an emotional process because 1. I didn't know exactly if there was anything further than Sjogren's disease and I was getting misdiagnosed. I saw four or five different doctors in that time.

[Julie Foudy]

G. Four or five. And this is normal for lupus and autoimmune diseases, right? For women it's like, oh, come on, you're fine.

[Shannon Box]

Oh, that's the pro. And especially for you think about athletes even more. So it's like, oh, you just over trained. Oh, you know, you're, you're, you're just think is stress. Oh, you're just being lazy. And these are things that you're like, no, actually, no, I. This is crazy. And so yeah, in 08 actually went 07 Abby. We went to the World cup in China. You know, no one really knew that I had this. I kept this quiet. And that was another mental. I was fearful for my job. You know, in, in 2002 when I first was kind of diagnosed with Sjogren's. I remember going to our new coach. Remember we got our coaching, had a coaching change at San Diego and I went to him right away and was like, hey, look, I'm dealing with this. I don't quite understand all of it, but I have times where I'm like really tired. And not that this was the only Reason or whatever, but I never started again that season. I barely played the rest of the season. Now, could have been anything else, but in my head, I put those two things together and was like, oh, if I want to continue playing, especially at the national team level, I can't tell anybody this.

[Abby Wambach]

Oh, gosh, that's so frustrating. Okay, so. So the first diagnosis is the thing that helps you understand. Is it often the thing that happens prior to a lupus diagnosis or are they just not. Are they correlated or not correlated?

[Shannon Box]

Well, so lupus is so difficult to diagnose because so many of the symptoms can mimic other diseases. And you can also, when you have one autoimmune, you could have another autoimmune, you could have another one. So they kind of go together. I think a lot of the symptoms of lupus can be in Sjogren's. So it. That's why it is so difficult. There's not just one test that you can take to say you have lupus, you have this autoimmune. And so you have to really be a big advocate for yourself. You have to really be clear on, like, what are you feeling? And you have to tell the doctors a lot of these things because they have to use your medical history, they have to use your. Your family history, they have to look at blood tests, they have to do all of these different things, which Dr. Manzi can get into way more than I can. But all of these things you have to really come to, and doctors have to understand what it is. And that's the thing you, when you go to your general practitioner, they might not know a lot about autoimmune diseases. And so they're not looking for some of those things to even get you to the right specialist, which is a rheumatologist. And so, you know, you kind of have to keep fighting and saying, these are my symptoms. This is what's happening. And that's why it's so important to be on a show like this with you guys, because there's people out there that are feeling these symptoms and they have no idea what to do.

[Emma Peyton]

Right.

[Abby Wambach]

Okay, so how did you. How did you overcome the fear? Because that first coach, you have like insets this fear in you that you're like, I can't tell anybody about any limitations that I might bring to the table that. That could affect my training or the games or whatever, because it's going to negatively impact me. And I need to make money, I need health care. I need to, you know, I got to pay my bills all of that. How did you navigate the emotional and the mental capacity of telling teammates and coaches as you went on and got more veteran in your career?

[Shannon Box]

Yeah, I think that helped, right? Like, having that comfortable space of, like, okay, I've done all the things I. I've solidified myself in this space. I did take tell Christy Pierce. She was the one teammate that I told from the very beginning I needed somebody, and she was the one who kept my secret for me. And she's a vault.

[Abby Wambach]

She's a vault.

[Shannon Box]

Yes.

[Abby Wambach]

She will never tell secrets. It's so great.

[Emma Peyton]

Yeah.

[Shannon Box]

And, you know, she held me because she was right behind me. So it was. There would be days where I'd look behind her, and she's like, you're white as a ghost. I'm like, I don't feel, like, feel great at all. And she's like, I got you. I got you. And I was like, okay. So eventually I knew. I knew. I knew teammates were going to be there for me when I finally said it. They weren't. That was what I needed. And when I chose to do it was in 2011. I actually didn't go public to the. To the world till 12, but I was like, let's just start with the team and Pia and see how it goes. And I did. I was in this space that I felt a lot more comfortable if things changed and they didn't want to play me. They didn't want. I at least felt like I'd given everything I had. I'd been accomplished if that was the case. But I felt like, oh, my gosh, we have this platform. Social media had started. I have. I have a responsibility to really get this out. What is lupus like? It needed to be told. No one knew even what the word lupus was when I first was diagnosed. So to be able to have that platform to do it, I thought that was more important than keeping the secret in. And so when I ended up telling you guys, oh, my gosh, the relief that I felt. I'd been holding this thing in for so long, like, to be able to tell you guys and for you to just ask questions and, like, how you feeling today? And, oh, man, okay, you're not feeling great. What can I do? It just.

[Julie Foudy]

It.

[Dr. Susan Manzi]

It.

[Shannon Box]

That allowed me to play till 15. Honestly, 100. Like, I would not have made it to 15 if I didn't have you guys, like, supporting me and understanding. And even Pia, she did a great job. I mean, don't get me wrong, in 11, when she sat me that second game, I was like, is it because I have lupus? What are you doing?

[Abby Wambach]

I didn't.

[Shannon Box]

But in my head I was like, am I sitting? Because, you know, and I think a little bit of it was like, we want to make sure you can make it through the whole tournament. Tournament. And I was like, I've been doing this since 2003.

[Abby Wambach]

Like, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Julie Foudy]

You know, but oh, my God, I'm like rubbing my temples thinking of all. I mean, when you put it in perspective of how long you've been dealing with it, when you go back to your college days, I mean, you played the longevity of your career on top of what you were dealing with, often with only Christie knowing or just, you know, you're having to. To deal with it on your own.

[Abby Wambach]

Yo. And like, not to mention, and I just have to say this, Shannon has always been the most unsung hero of my entire career. You and Christy Rampone were the two that kept us in games, that kept the other team from scoring. People don't know this. People don't remember about the 2011 goal that we scored against Brazil. Yeah, they don't know that. Shannon box and Christy Rampone. Shannon single handedly made that game possible for us to even have a chance to tie it at the end that, you know the ball that Megan bombs in in.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah, of course we went.

[Abby Wambach]

We went down a man. Rachel Bueller gets a red card. We go down a man. And so we're playing 10 against 11, like six Shannons forever for 60 minutes. And so Shannon has to do two jobs. She is defensive center, mid and on the back line. So when we're in an attack, she moves forward. So she is doing. She's doing so much more work. And for me to even think about this now, it's just like.

[Julie Foudy]

Right.

[Abby Wambach]

I don't know how you did it. And I just think that. And by the way, like, Shannon was always, like, so diligent on her fitness and making sure she's doing all that she needs to do. Like, way, way more than I ever did. Like, I was always like playing catch up, so whatever.

[Julie Foudy]

And I feel like, I feel like I'm a crappy teammate too. Like that I didn't. That I didn't have more awareness and ability to help you. I'm like, oh, my. I can remember when I was done playing and you were in Florida playing professionally, Shannon. And I was there for a feature I think I was doing on Abby. And we were watching your training. Was this Magic Jack, right?

[Shannon Box]

Yeah. In Florida in the summer, in the Summer and.

[Julie Foudy]

And heat is a very big problem for people with autoimmune diseases. And also sunlight, like that, the UV rays. And so I remember you came over and we were sitting on the sideline, and we must have been under an umbrella watching practice, and you had broken out into, like, a rash. I could see. And you, like, looked at me and you were like, I need your seat. You were like, in the middle of practice, she was like, practice. I was like, okay, sit down, sit down. Do you want water? What do you need? I just need shade and to sit for a second. And then you, like, sat. And then you got up and went back to practice. I was like, oh, my gosh. And then you were explaining to me, like, what was happening, and I was like, oh, my gosh.

[Abby Wambach]

Yeah, incredible.

[Shannon Box]

You know, the thing, though, that I look back and I say, you know, how. How was I able to do all of that? And I had, you know, I had to change things. The good thing that came out of it is I had to really learn my body. I had to figure out what the triggers were I had so that I was protecting myself before a full flare happened, because that's what lupus is. It's a disease of flare. So you could feel completely normal, and then you can have these flares that could last a day, could last a week, last months. And so I would actually figure out what my triggers were so that I could kind of minimize, hopefully minimize how strong the flare came, like, became. So my wrists would get really sore, and I'd be like, oh, my God, my wrists are achy. Like, they'd, like. I could barely hold my hands up, you know, and. Or, like, my legs, I would just feel this. This. That fatigue again, that, like, they're in quicksand. And I would quickly. I mean, back then, it was like the. What were. Like, the compression pants we would all be walking around with. I would just be throwing those on as fast as possible. I would take a break. I mean, there are times where, you know, I was training on my own and on a treadmill in the first five minutes, I'm like, gosh, this warm up feels like I'm gonna fly off the back of the treadmill. I would just turn it. I'd be like, you know what? This isn't worth it. I turn it off, go home and sleep for the entire day and wake up the next day and be like, do I feel better? Nope. Okay, keep sleeping. And then do I feel better? Okay, now I do. Now go back to training again. And I learned really Quickly through my pt, I had a great PT person, Jim Herkimer. And he was like, you can't train the way you used to train. You just can't. And he extended my career too because I was more self aware. I knew how to train differently. I couldn't lift heavy weights anymore. Dawn Scott was amazing because she actually, when I finally did tell everyone she came to my PT place that I trained on my own and watched our training, my, watched me train. It was like, okay, this is how you need to train. And so now when I go, just

[Abby Wambach]

so everybody knows, Don Scott, she was a strength and conditioning coach for the national team for many years. Sorry, go ahead, Buck.

[Shannon Box]

No, she, she was great because I think then she kind of, we went back to the teen trainings and it was like when we were going to lift, we didn't all have the same thing to make us, you know,

[Abby Wambach]

understand.

[Shannon Box]

She was able to do that.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah, we're, we're not going to let you go, boxy. We're going to continue this conversation because I want to touch on the importance of listening to your body advocating for yourself all the things you're talking about. We're going to add in. Coming up next. Almost a decade ago, a young soccer player and her dad who actually sat in Shannon's living room trying to figure out if her soccer journey was about to end before it had even really began. Now that same athlete is playing Division 1 soccer. Her name is Emma Payton and, and also Dr. Susan Manzi, medical director of the Lupus foundation of America, will join our discussion.

[Abby Wambach]

You guys know how much we love the Peloton Cross training Tread plus, powered by Peloton iq, Peloton helps you unlock all the expansive, joyful feeling one gets through movement. Truly, it's not just running. You can literally go from a walk or run straight into strength training with like the swivel screen that, you know, that we all love. It just feels so love it. It's. There's no stopping, no overthinking without losing any momentum. And my goodness, if I lose momentum, I'm gone.

[Julie Foudy]

And let me tell you, I have to fight the family to get on the the peloton cross training Tread plus lately, yeah, everyone is on it. They're all doing the swivel, they're doing the cross training. I'm like, listen, yo, this is mine. Get off. It's built around you too. Your pace, your energy, what you need that day. It's like having a roadmap, which we all want, but without the pressure. So Peloton IQ gives you the level of support you deserve. And let's be clear, us women deserve tools, support and experiences built for us and around us. And of course, our potential.

[Abby Wambach]

Exactly. So whether you're running or lifting or just trying something new or Jules, even feeling a little along the way, you're still moving forward. Let yourself run, lift, fail, try and go again. Explore the new peloton cross training tread [e-mail].

[Julie Foudy]

Doctor Susan Manzi is one of the leading voices in lupus research and treatment, serving as the medical Director for the Lupus foundation of America and director of the Lupus center for Excellence at Allegheny Health Network. Emma Peyton is a rising senior goalkeeper at Indiana University from Austin, Texas. Thank you both for joining us. Emma, I need to know first from you how, how did you find Shannon in her living room and tell us about that discussion?

[Abby Wambach]

Yeah, what the heck?

[Emma Peyton]

I mean, yeah, my, my dad helped me reach out via email because we saw her story and I remember when first getting diagnosed, we were like so curious about everything. We didn't know too much. And our nephrologist, when he was telling me like, what I probably had, he was like, this is like, worst case scenario, this is what it might be. It might be lupus. Like, we just wanted you to know. And so whenever we were going through the process, we found Shannon's story. My dad helped me email her and it went from a few emails to I was sitting in a hotel in Oklahoma for a soccer trip and we get on a call together, we talked and then we're like, oh, I'm going to be in Oregon for a trip to Oregon State for camp. Why don't I come over to your house and we meet and share stories and it was awesome.

[Julie Foudy]

And that was at how old? 15 years old,

[Emma Peyton]

probably around then. I first got diagnosed when I was around 13. So.

[Julie Foudy]

Wow.

[Abby Wambach]

Wow.

[Emma Peyton]

Yeah.

[Abby Wambach]

What were the biggest questions that you and Shannon talked about? Biggest things.

[Emma Peyton]

I was just figuring out how to manage my lupus. So I think trying to hear her story and hear how she played through it was a big part for me. I didn't know if I was going to be able to play for as long as I would hope. And I didn't know if I'd be able to make it to the college level. Just I had so many reservations. And so hearing how she made it through so long and for such a high level was really inspirational.

[Abby Wambach]

This is why mentorship matters. Dr. Manzi, I do want to ask you because I know a lot of folks who Are listening to this, are probably curious about what the onset, initial symptoms might look like. So can you give us a generalized idea of what we all could be looking for? Especially because so many women are high, you know, taking care of the family, high stress lives and they're the ones that are getting most diagnosed with this. So can you help us understand it better?

[Dr. Susan Manzi]

Yeah, I'd be happy to. But can I just say that shows like this save lives, like, I don't know if you appreciate the impact you have is extraordinary and I have such admiration for athletes. And then you put Olympic level athletes that have this disease and D1, you know, division athletes. I, I'm in awe of all of these. Anyway, having said that. Yeah. So I have dedicated my entire career to this disease. And I think part of the reason, exactly what you said, it's young women primarily, right. 15 to 45. There's children too. So you can like five year olds, six year olds, they can get loop. Well, but if you think of that age group, I mean this is the prime, prime time. And one of the difficulties is that it looks differently in everybody. And that's what Shannon, I think was trying to say before. So it's not like you can say if you have this, this and this, you have lupus and here's a blood test, right? It can look differently, but common things. Profound fatigue. And I always say, and you guys know this better than me, it's not the fatigue you feel after a really good workout. That's different, right? This is a, you hit a wall, you can't move, kind of a fatigue. Skin rashes are common. You know, a lot of my patients come in after they go to Cancun on spring break, you know, and they're out in this intense sun and they come back, they have a rash, rash never goes away. And then everything kind of happens after that. So rash is joint pain, fatigue. I mean some people present with early heart attacks, like we reported that present. You can have a young 30 year old that comes in with a stroke or a heart attack for the first time because any organ can be involved. And so you've got to be, you got to be tuned in to seizures. Okay. Can be a presenting symptom. So somebody that comes in with new convulsions or seizures. So you have to, you just have to make, I always say, you know, your body and something's not right. You need to question, you have to think a lupus to diagnose it.

[Abby Wambach]

I have a follow up on that because I think the, the word and the world of autoimmune. Right. There's so many different kind of diagnosis and diseases that are very difficult to diagnose because there isn't like, that blood test. Do you think that that is something. Is this something that you're trying to change to make the diagnosis easier for people? And why is it so difficult to diagnose people with Lyme disease, with Epstein Barr virus, with lupus, with all of these autoimmune disorders and diseases?

[Dr. Susan Manzi]

Yeah, it's a really good question. You know, there are over 100 autoimmune diseases. People don't realize that because I think there's a lot of diseases you don't think of as autoimmune. So, you know people that have 100. Did you just say over 100? Yeah.

[Julie Foudy]

Oh, my gosh.

[Dr. Susan Manzi]

Because there's probably ones I'll mention. You're like, oh, that's. That's autoimmune. So if you have, like, a low thyroid, they call right hypothyroidism.

[Emma Peyton]

Me.

[Dr. Susan Manzi]

Okay. That can be autoimmune. Like, can measure your immune system targeting thyroid. So that can be autoimmune. So there's, you know, multiple sclerosis is autoimmune. Type 1 diabetes, it's where the immune system targets the brain or the pancreas for type 1 diabetes or the thyroid. So you can see where it targets is the disease you have. What these autoimmune diseases share is that they're very genetically linked. So sometimes you'll see family members with a variety of different autoimmune conditions, and you can't get more than in one person. You can have more than one. But you're absolutely right. Some are easier to diagnose than others. Some are very difficult. Lupus is one. There is no one blood test. So I know in Pittsburgh, where I am now, our lab has focused on new diagnostics because you gotta be able to diagnose it and, you know, they're not thinking about it, so.

[Julie Foudy]

Interesting. Yeah. Wait, so how do you eventually know it's lupus if you've just. You've actually gotten rid of all the other. You test out so much that it's the last one. How do you know?

[Dr. Susan Manzi]

Often that's true. I mean, sometimes they call it a diagnosis of exclusion. Right. They'll rule out this. You'll rule out that. A lot of our patients will come in with big swollen lymph nodes and fevers, and they're always evaluated for leukemia. First they'll get their lymph nodes biopsied and, you know, so they go through all this and then they show up, right, and have lupus. So you have to think of it. So a young woman, that's the key. Often that if they're men, too, but usually men come in really sick, some of the women can kind of creep up on the. The, you know, they'll have fatigue and

[Abby Wambach]

joints and skin, and we just hide it better. You hide it because we're just stronger.

[Dr. Susan Manzi]

Stronger. You're tougher, which is probably exactly what I was thinking.

[Abby Wambach]

We're not babies.

[Dr. Susan Manzi]

You have to think of it. And there are certain signs. You can do blood tests that will show you low blood counts. You know, their kidneys may not be working because kidney disease is very common. So that you may find evidence that their kidneys aren't functioning. So you get clues. And then there are some markers that give you an idea. This could be lupus. So you can make the diagnosis. It's just, you gotta be more investigative when you're thinking.

[Julie Foudy]

That's pretty remarkable then that. Emma, you were able to make that diagnosis at 13, right? Like, you were. Had you been feeling. How long had you been not been feeling well? And I'm curious about the emotions of that moment when you found out you had it.

[Emma Peyton]

Well, my diagnosis story was a little bit different because I have lupus nephritis. So mine presents in my kidneys for, like, the majority. So I was able to get blood tests and urine tests especially to see that my kidneys weren't functioning at the level they should. But that was after seeing at least four doctors before that. And Austin at the time didn't have a pediatric rheumatologist, so I had to go to an adult one whenever they started suspecting. And so I went to him, and he ran the right blood test and urine test to see, oh, something's up. They referred me to a pediatric nephrologist, kidney doctor, where then I was taken to do a kidney biopsy where they found that a fourth of my kidneys were starting to scar. And so that was what they allowed them to diagnose me with lupus.

[Abby Wambach]

And because of this difficult. And maybe, Emma, yours is a little different because it was specific and clear. I'm curious how hard it is to give these diagnoses. So Shannon, Emma to get it and Dr. Manzi to give it. Is it hard to kind of prove kind of to the patient? Do you often find, like, is it a relief that. Was it a relief to get this diagnosis, or were you like, this can't be that's this can't be it. Like, and trying to find something else because I can imagine. Because the difficulty to diagnose. I wonder how. How that process was psychologically for you, Emma, and Shannon. Yeah.

[Shannon Box]

I mean, I can say at first is that it was relief to me. Like, after all these years of knowing something was wrong and knowing that. That I'm not making this up. That I think when I finally got it, it was kind of weird to feel that way. But I was kind of like, finally, finally there's a diagnosis. Because for me, it was, now I can attack it. Now I can say, okay, here's how to. How do I fix this? How do I get over this so that I can continue to play and live? So for me, it was relief for

[Emma Peyton]

me, I mean, I felt like I was just along for the ride. I was a kid, so I didn't know anything about what was going on. My symptoms were. I didn't know. I mean, I was 13. I didn't really know going on. I didn't know if I was feeling fatigue or if that was just how I was supposed to feel. So my parents did a lot of the advocating for me, and they were like, you looked really tired for a long time. And there was other, like, smaller symptoms that they were like, this isn't right. We should take you to a doctor. So they were the ones that took me from doctor to doctor, saying, we need more answers. And I think for me, hearing the lupus diagnosis, I'd never heard of that before, but I know my parents were kind of shocked and like, oh, no, this is. It's gonna be a lifelong thing. It's chronic. Like, will she be able to handle this? And I hope you know it doesn't affect her too bad.

[Julie Foudy]

What are your symptoms now? And is it. And I know, Shannon, you too. Like, there seems to be, like, an ebb and flow to it. Like, you have these good moments, and then you have. Where you're feeling the pain. Is that the same with you, Emma?

[Emma Peyton]

Very similar, yes. I get the fatigue, the headaches, especially when my biggest trigger is also the sun. So whenever we're out in the summer doing conditioning or long practices, I can feel it for a few days afterwards. I'll walk up the stairs. My heart, like, skyrockets. I feel so tired in the morning. I feel so stiff when I get up. And it's just a lot of things like that.

[Julie Foudy]

And as soccer players, it's impossible to avoid the sun. What are you gonna do? Right?

[Emma Peyton]

My rheumatologist was Big on sunscreen. So she would always insist, like the

[Shannon Box]

highest level of sunscreen.

[Abby Wambach]

Boxy was always like, oh, white. Just so funny. Dr. Manzi, I have a question around, like autoimmune in and of itself and where we are in the progress of finding a cure. Like, why is our immune system attacking us in all of these ways? Right? I know that you're the expert with lupus, but why is this happening? Like, why are our bodies attacking us and are we close to. And in your research, will there be a cure for lupus and maybe, hopefully all of these hundred plus diseases that are affecting so many people worldwide?

[Dr. Susan Manzi]

Yeah, it is a great question. We don't know why. Why does your immune system all of a sudden start to say, hey, you know, I'm good, I recognize your kidneys as foreign and I'm going to attack. So we know that your genes are really important. So there is a genetic predisposition, right? There has to be something in your genes that makes you more susceptible for this dysregulation of your immune system. But that's not enough because we always say if you take identical twins, right, same gene, if one has lupus, the chance of the other one having lupus is a flip of a coin. So it's not just the genes. There's got to be then a trigger. That's where EBV comes in sometimes, right?

[Abby Wambach]

So we think Epstein Barr virus.

[Dr. Susan Manzi]

Epstein Barr virus, right.

[Julie Foudy]

Someone. I was like, what is ebv? What?

[Dr. Susan Manzi]

Abby? Yeah, that was really good. But sometimes, you know, you're. We'll find a lot of the young college women who have had mono and then, you know, so they get some viral trigger and then immune system gets confused and will then target itself or sun, as I mentioned before, or medication. So there's some trigger then that kind of tips you over. But the good news is we're learning so much, particularly in lupus, that cure is actually doable. I think that there could be a cure in the lifetime of these, these young women for sure. But I will say, even short of a cure, the treatments have come so far and are so much more effective that, you know, the lifespan is great. Like in 1950s, if you were diagnosed with lupus, 50% were dead in five years, right? Whoa, 1950s, that's not that long ago, you know, it's still fatal. It's potentially fatal. But the treatments now have come so far that people live long and healthy lives with really good treatment.

[Julie Foudy]

How as an athlete. And I'm interested in your advice as well, Dr. Manzi is how do you know what your limit should be? Because you feel that pain, and you know as an athlete, you need to work through that pain. But how much do you push? And this is for all three of you. Start with the athletes first. But I'm also interested in the medical guidance around that.

[Shannon Box]

Emma, do you want to go?

[Emma Peyton]

Sure. I mean, I feel like I'm a little on the luckier side. I am a goalkeeper, so I don't have to do as much running. But I think it's. You have hard days, and you have hard days where you'll have the mental brain fog, where it's hard to focus on the ball, it's hard to, you know, keep running and push through. And I think knowing the way you have to go about it off the field will make a huge impact on if you're able to perform on the field. So for me, it was getting enough sleep, eating the right things. I know when I had. If I would eat super salty things, I would feel. I would feel it. I'd feel like my heart rate go up. I'd feel, like, sweaty, and I couldn't do as much. But if I was drinking enough water, getting the right sleep, doing the right things, I was able to perform better. And I know with lupus you can. Sometimes it takes you longer to recover from those harder workouts. So just doing all the right things you can do to recover.

[Shannon Box]

Yeah. And I mean, just to piggyback here, I think, Emma, you just said it perfectly, but I think there's a space of. And I talked about it a little bit earlier, of how I had to change the way that I trained. And I think understanding and learning your body is a big thing because, you know, knowing those triggers and when to slow down and when to say, okay, you know what? I actually feel really good. I can go all out today. I still. I'm not gonna lie, I still struggle with finding how much to push myself or not push myself. I think last week I played at a basketball game. Probably shouldn't have done that because I definitely have been feeling it the last so many. Like, the last week, I'm like, oh, I went too far. So I definitely find myself still, like, oh, yeah, I overdid it. But eating the right way, that's why.

[Abby Wambach]

Are you gluten free still?

[Shannon Box]

I'm still gluten free. For me, that ended up working out. Does it work for everybody? No, but it did work for me, especially when I was playing.

[Abby Wambach]

I need to be gluten free, too, because of my hypothyroidism. For sure. I just don't do it. Idiot. It works for me, but I just can't. I like it too much.

[Julie Foudy]

What do you tell athletes?

[Dr. Susan Manzi]

Yeah, that is a really. You know, it's so funny because I can't be prescriptive about it. It's hard to say, but I always say knowledge is power and knowing. Nobody knows you better than you do. And I have people that can push and other people that, you know, you gotta know. And I think these guys had to figure it out. Sometimes you figure it out, right? You do too much. But I am a big advocate, Huge advocate of everything. Non drug interventions, rest, you know, nutrition, huge. I mean, people will literally come in and say, if I eat this, you know, my disease is under control. And I believe it. You know, there's a lot we're learning about the microbiome and, you know, all the bacteria in your gut and how they impact immune system. So food is medicine.

[Julie Foudy]

Food.

[Abby Wambach]

Yeah. Mm.

[Julie Foudy]

Okay, last question. And then I understand Shannon has a game for us, which I. Yes.

[Abby Wambach]

This is so exciting. I can't wait. I'm gonna kick your ass, Julie.

[Julie Foudy]

Okay, last question. Emma, what do you. What do you want younger women and athletes with lupus to know?

[Emma Peyton]

I think they should know that you can do what you want and your lupus won't stop you. I was worried to tell coaches, high school, college, friends, friends, parents. I was nervous to tell them because I thought it would discriminate me, put me behind people. Wouldn't let me get to where I want. And just coming out with my story and telling those around me, it let me feel supported. And I think knowing that all of those people will help you and can help you just helped me make it all the way to this level. And my coaches here are supportive and the trainers here are great. I have doctors back home and here. And I think knowing that you have people around you that will help and that you can make this, make it this far is so important.

[Abby Wambach]

It's awesome.

[Julie Foudy]

Great advice. Okay, Boxy, what do you have for us?

[Shannon Box]

All right. Okay, Emma, you got your stuff. Right in front of you too, because we're gonna go back and forth, whoever answers it first. Oh, okay.

[Julie Foudy]

Bring it. Don't sing it, Abby.

[Abby Wambach]

Okay.

[Shannon Box]

Okay. And this. And. And also because it's Lupus Awareness Month, the no Lupus quiz. K, N O W. Lupus quiz is on the lupus.org so you guys can learn more. Everybody can learn more about it.

[Abby Wambach]

Okay.

[Shannon Box]

For the quiz.

[Julie Foudy]

Okay.

[Shannon Box]

Okay. First one. Women make up what percentage of the total population with lupus, 90% didn't even get to the multiple choice. But correct. Julie, you're gonna have to step up here. Okay?

[Emma Peyton]

Okay, next one. Lupus is difficult to diagnose because A, symptoms come and go. B, lupus differs for everyone. D, there is no one test for lupus. Or D, all of these, all the ability.

[Abby Wambach]

Yes, she said it. She said it first.

[Julie Foudy]

Okay, one one Jack's keeping score. One one Jack, lock in.

[Shannon Box]

Okay, on average, how many years does it take to be diagnosed after a sex insertion?

[Julie Foudy]

Six. Two to one.

[Shannon Box]

You guys did a very good job listening through this whole period. This is amazing.

[Julie Foudy]

We did our research too.

[Emma Peyton]

Next one. What is lupus related kidney disease called?

[Abby Wambach]

Lupus nefarious.

[Julie Foudy]

Starts with an N. Wrong.

[Shannon Box]

Is that where.

[Julie Foudy]

Say it's wrong. Emma, is she wrong?

[Abby Wambach]

That's really close.

[Shannon Box]

Nefarious. Really?

[Abby Wambach]

Class is not really right.

[Shannon Box]

I win.

[Julie Foudy]

I win.

[Shannon Box]

No, you gotta answer it, Julie.

[Julie Foudy]

Okay, give me the multiple choices.

[Abby Wambach]

Hold on. Is there.

[Julie Foudy]

You're out.

[Abby Wambach]

You.

[Julie Foudy]

You just said your answer. You're wrong. Julie gets them. Now give me the most.

[Shannon Box]

The best.

[Emma Peyton]

Okay. Okay. A, inflammatory kidney. B, kidney stones. C, kidney nephrology. Or D, lupus nephritis.

[Abby Wambach]

Oh, sheesh.

[Julie Foudy]

Wait, say C again.

[Emma Peyton]

Kidney nephrology.

[Julie Foudy]

And D again.

[Emma Peyton]

Lupus nephritis.

[Julie Foudy]

C.

[Shannon Box]

Those are so close.

[Abby Wambach]

Nefarious. I said.

[Dr. Susan Manzi]

Abby, I'm gonna steal that term from you from now on, I'm gonna have a slide that says lupus nephritis is nefarious.

[Abby Wambach]

Kidney nefarious.

[Shannon Box]

Shoot.

[Abby Wambach]

Okay. Okay, wait, I'm still up.

[Julie Foudy]

Two to one.

[Abby Wambach]

Two to one. Yeah. Two to one.

[Shannon Box]

Okay. This one.

[Julie Foudy]

That was a sitter. You even said it during. During the podcast. I couldn't remember what it was. Ah.

[Shannon Box]

Okay, this one does not have multiple choice. This one. You just have to come up with it. Among those who are misdiagnosed, what is the average number of health care providers a person with lupus sees before receiving a correct diagnosis?

[Julie Foudy]

Ooh, average number. So closest of healthcare providers they see.

[Shannon Box]

Okay, I'm gonna say five, usually. This or more.

[Abby Wambach]

Five or more.

[Julie Foudy]

Okay, I'm gonna say.

[Emma Peyton]

Great.

[Abby Wambach]

She's gonna say six or more. One more. This is bs.

[Shannon Box]

The answer is four. Two to two. They used to do that on the Wheel of Fortune and be like $1. $1. I should have done that.

[Julie Foudy]

One or more. I thought for sure it was more than five.

[Abby Wambach]

Same.

[Julie Foudy]

Okay, that's.

[Abby Wambach]

Are we two to two now or two to two? Oh, it's coming down to it.

[Emma Peyton]

As many as two thirds of people with lupus experience a sensitivity to A, wheat, B, gluten, C, milk, or D, UV light.

[Abby Wambach]

UV light.

[Julie Foudy]

D. I said it first.

[Shannon Box]

I said it first.

[Julie Foudy]

I said it first.

[Abby Wambach]

D.

[Shannon Box]

Sorry, Julie, roll the var.

[Abby Wambach]

UV light.

[Julie Foudy]

D. I said it first.

[Shannon Box]

I said it first.

[Julie Foudy]

I said it first.

[Shannon Box]

I.

[Abby Wambach]

Actually, Julie said. I think she did say D before I said uv.

[Shannon Box]

Okay. There you go, Jules.

[Abby Wambach]

And so I'm gonna be heavy.

[Julie Foudy]

That was noble. And I appreciate our editor.

[Abby Wambach]

I'm not a cheater. You did say D and I just said the actual answer instead, which gives me I should get a 0.5.

[Julie Foudy]

Okay.

[Abby Wambach]

Congratulations.

[Shannon Box]

Well done, you guys. Oh, thanks for playing that game.

[Abby Wambach]

That was really fun.

[Julie Foudy]

That was fun.

[Shannon Box]

Well, I really also.

[Julie Foudy]

Very important.

[Abby Wambach]

Yeah, Yeah.

[Dr. Susan Manzi]

I really appreciate the Lupus foundation of America. Honestly, if anybody podcast wants information lupus.org.org they are the source of truth.

[Abby Wambach]

Okay.

[Julie Foudy]

For sure.

[Abby Wambach]

The source of truth. We'll put it in our show notes as well for folks who want to learn more. And, Shannon, are you doing the Lupus walk this year? Because I remember years ago, we went on a lupus walk with friends.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah.

[Shannon Box]

Abby did the LA walk with me years and years ago. And yes, the Lupus walk here in Portland.

[Julie Foudy]

September 19th in Portland. Okay.

[Shannon Box]

And then I also do my sip and support.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah, I was gonna say tell about your. Your fundraiser.

[Shannon Box]

Yeah, So I do a fundraiser here in Lupus, a wine fundraiser at one of the wineries here in the Willamette. And this will be my sixth year annual year. And in the last five, we've raised over $128,000. We've had over 401 guests that have learned more about lupus. And so it has been amazing to. To be able to do and to contribute back to the foundation. So, yeah, come donate. Do all the things. It's really fun. We play tournament. It's longolow.

[Abby Wambach]

Oh, cool.

[Shannon Box]

Yeah. Beautiful.

[Julie Foudy]

You three, thank you. Thank you for taking the time to do this. Dr. Manzi, thank you for spending your life researching this and treating this. And just big props to Shannon and Emma and all the bravery you guys have shown and what a role model for so many young athletes who are fighting this.

[Shannon Box]

Thank you, guys. Thank you for having us.

[Dr. Susan Manzi]

Yeah, thank you so much getting the word out. We appreciate it. Thank you.

[Abby Wambach]

Well, they're just gems, and I feel like I learned a lot around just, like, the overall, like, reach of what this disease and so many other autoimmune diseases reach in our communities and our people. It's just like, so important for people to understand that autoimmune diseases are real. Because I think so much of the difficulty of the diagnosis makes it feel like, like, like you, you don't know. Like, like, oh, just get over it. Right. Like, if you.

[Julie Foudy]

Right.

[Abby Wambach]

If it's hard to be a diagnosed disease, the people in your community or your family might just be like, get over it. Like, get on with your life.

[Julie Foudy]

And why is she always so tired? What's wrong with her? Yeah. And instead of, oh, we should really get to the bottom of this. It's almost like they feel this sense of shame. Like, yeah. Shannon even said, Boxy even said, I remember back in the day that when she got the diagnosis, she was like, oh, thank God I'm not crazy.

[Abby Wambach]

Yes.

[Julie Foudy]

I thought I was crazy.

[Abby Wambach]

Yes.

[Julie Foudy]

I kept going, what is wrong with me? Am I crazy? Or is this actually happening? And so you heard her say there was relief when she got the diagnosis. It's like, okay, now we can finally have a plan.

[Abby Wambach]

Yeah.

[Julie Foudy]

To try and get better. But. And there's also a six year gap between most people. Was it six? Yeah, six. I think I got that question right. A six year gap between.

[Abby Wambach]

I think I did.

[Julie Foudy]

You might have to put on the party boober hat.

[Abby Wambach]

Oh, yeah.

[Julie Foudy]

Put on your party boober hat.

[Abby Wambach]

Yeah. And the fact that, that, you know, because athletics is so difficult because you're already sore, so so many of the symptoms mimic the response that you would normally get, but it's just like at a 10. So it's even harder, I think, for some of these athletes to believe that. That maybe it's just. Maybe they're just weaker than their teammates. You know what I mean? And I think that that's got to be really taxing mentally.

[Julie Foudy]

I know. I look back on Shannon's career. Three Olympic gold medals, a World cup championship, almost 200 caps. She had a baby. She had Zoe while she was playing.

[Abby Wambach]

Yep, bro. Like, we would not have won any of those tournaments without Shannon Box. Like, Shannon was and is forever my unsung hero. I always thought that she deserved so much more attention and popularity and she obviously got a lot of that. But I thought that she, like, she, you know, who were some of the greatest defensive center mids of all time

[Julie Foudy]

that you Acres before she got Epstein,

[Abby Wambach]

she went up and she went forward. She became a forward and a goal scorer. But like, even midfielders, they, like some of the midfield best midfielders in the world, they don't get enough attention. And Boxy was, in my mind, the very best. And so for her to have been dealing with this her whole career on the national team privately and didn't come forward until 2011 to the. To our team for the most part, obviously, you know, it's just. It's really unbelievable. It makes me respect her even more for having to deal with all of this under those circumstances. It's incredible. And for her to also be mentoring the next generation, like, that is what our women's national team is so all about, right? It's like, whatever my circumstances might be, I know that there's somebody else out there that will have similar circumstances that. That I want to make sure that they know that they, too, can do whatever they put their mind to. Boxy is like a. An attest.

[Julie Foudy]

And I love that, like, Boxy pitched it to us of, like, what do you think? Can you do this on the show? I was like, oh, my gosh, absolutely. We can do this. So exactly that, like, the advocacy and Emma, you know, talking and sharing her story, the importance of hearing that this athlete is doing it right now as a young athlete at the D1 level. All right, before we go, one of another of our favorite guests of all time, Ali Truitt. Do you. Do you all remember her party people? Through her Stronger than you think foundation, she's hosting her second annual Swim a Thon on May 31 at Chelsea Piers in Stanford, Connecticut. It also happens to be her birthday and the anniversary of her amputation. As you remember, Abby, those were the same day. And Ally's story, if you haven't seen this episode, is incredible. We'll link to it in. In our notes. But our interview was because Ally was a shark attack survivor. She is now a Paralympic swimmer, a marathoner, and a huge advocate. She's raising money for people in need of prosthetics. If you want to help, check out the amazing stories on her website, stronger than you think.org and donate via the link in her IG bio. And as I said, we'll also put that in the show notes. Okay, party people, don't forget to subscribe to the welcome to the party YouTube channel. So you can actually watch us and see Abby in her party pooper hat, which she took off. Click that little bell icon so you can get updates when new episodes go live.

[Abby Wambach]

And I'm going to do this as a wrap. And if you could take one minute, we would so appreciate it. You can rate, leave a comment and subscribe to the podcast. Do it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Be sure to follow us on Instagram, YouTube and wherever you get your socials at. Welcome to the Party show where Julie, Billy and I bring the party straight to you. Email us at party people questions gmail.com.

[Julie Foudy]

here's what I know. Podcast. I mean, rapping is not in your future.

[Abby Wambach]

It's not. Also, and party people, we have some extraordinary, extraordinary, extraordinarily exciting news. If you haven't heard already. We have a sub stack now. We are up on substack. Sign up to follow us on welcome. Welcome to the party show.Stubstack welcome to the party show.Testack.com and we're going to be able to peel back the curtain and share more kind of about our lives behind the scenes because there's a lot that goes on behind the scenes that you don't see. Little tidbits from the show. Things we're into what our weekend watch guides are all of us. Because like, that is the thing that I'm in so much need of. So we built it like where hugely where are the women's sports? Where are they being played? And so we are building a little portal that you can go to and find out what is going on also. Kate Diaz, thank you.

[Julie Foudy]

We still welcome to the sub stack party.

[Abby Wambach]

Again, welcome to the party show.stubstack.com welcome

[Julie Foudy]

to the party show.substack.com Rad. Our theme music is awesome. Oh, put your paws in party people.

[Abby Wambach]

Oosa on three. You ready? One, two, three. Welcome to the Party is an independent production brought to you by Treat Media. Treat Media Media makes art for humans who want to stay human. Initial Digital is our production partner and you can also watch our full conversations on the welcome to the party YouTube channel and follow us at welcome to the Party show on Instagram and TikTok. Thanks for listening.