Executive Director & Founder

My name is Kimberly Beasley, and I am the founder of Puzzled Butterfly. My journey with lupus has been long, painful, and deeply transformative. I began experiencing joint pain at just seven years old, and the devastation of feeling unheard shaped much of my early life. The only way I could describe my pain was that my bones felt cold and hurting. My grandmother believed it was poor circulation, my parents were bewildered, and after a physical exam, the doctor dismissed it as growing pains.

As the years went on, the symptoms intensified. Chronic anemia led doctors to suspect leukemia, resulting in two bone marrow aspirations, both negative, thank God. At eighteen, my family doctor told me I had lupus. But when she referred me to a rheumatologist, he checked my range of motion, told me I didn’t have lupus, and ordered no further testing.

From age eighteen to thirty‑eight, I lived in a cycle of pain, fatigue, and confusion. In March 2010, I developed severe breathing issues and was misdiagnosed with asthma. After a year of ineffective treatments, eight asthma medications at once, and an eight‑day hospitalization, my husband and I reached our breaking point.

In August 2011, we drove from Texas to Colorado to seek answers at National Jewish Health, the #1 respiratory hospital in America. After extensive testing and reviewing my medical records, the pulmonologist told me he was convinced my breathing issues were autoimmune and likely Collagen Vascular Disease. Right there in front of us, he called one of the top rheumatologists in the country and insisted he see me immediately.

The next morning at 7 a.m., before seeing any of his regular patients, that rheumatologist met with me. After hearing my history and reviewing my labs, he said the word I had been waiting twenty years to hear:

“Lupus.”

At last, I could begin the journey toward the help I had needed since childhood.

My life since then has been devoted to managing lupus, the ups, the downs, the unpredictable moments that shape every day. Over time, I have made peace with my illness. I have learned to navigate it, to understand it, and to find ease in the disease.

And now, it is my deepest desire to help others do the same.

I created Puzzled Butterfly to support every chronic illness pathfinder, those who are learning to navigate symptoms, advocate for themselves, and reclaim their strength. Yes, lupus has been a grueling battle, but I am still here. I am still rising. And with God’s help, I will continue to win.

Be Encouraged… Be Blessed… Be Enriched… Be Authentically You! — Kimberly Beasley, Founder & Executive Director