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Snoop Dogg really was living the life he described in his rap songs - one punctuated with women and drugs - and it was destroying his marriage to his wife, who is also the Mother of his three children:
"You know, I was caught up with Hollywood, and the girls and the night life," Snoop said in 2008.
Snoop even filed for divorce, but the couple reconciled and renewed their vows to celebrate their 10th anniversary in 2008; they were originally married in June of 1997.
"I thought I was the man and I was willing to give up what I had at home for that, until I realized that what I had at home was irreplaceable, so I gave that up to go back home," Snoop said.
Now Snoop and Shante have revealed to People Magazine that the discovery that their then-6-year-old daughter, Cori (pictured above, third from right), had lupus helped to bring their family closer.
Initially, the couple noticed spots on their daughter's face. They saw her dropping large amounts of weight without explanation and they saw her hair coming out.
Doctor after doctor couldn't explain what was happening.
"I felt helpless," Snoop told People while fighting back tears. "No power, no friends."
Snoop's wife was also feeling desperate as she watched her child go through test after test:
"No one could tell me what was wrong. They drew tons of blood and said she has old-person cells. They gave her all kinds of [medication]. But she went downhill."
After the diagnosis, Snoop says he and his family went on a journey together to learn about the disease. Snoop and his wife even went to counseling.
"The counselor was helping us to try and become a stronger couple," Snoop said.
Shante said her family needed all the strength it could muster to deal with the situation. "Without (Snoop) I don't know what I'd have done," she said.
When the time came to tell Cori about her illness, Shante says she gathered the family together, prayed and showed a video about lupus. Over the next few months, the family would continue to be tested as they searched for the proper medicine for Cori's lupus.
One medicine gave her hives while steroids made her gain and lose a lot of weight. It was only after special pediatric care that doctors put together a regimen that works.
That difficult process brought Snoop's family back together.
"That's what it boiled down to," said Snoop. "Cori's lupus showed us we need to be together forever."
Sometimes it takes a tragedy or difficult times for people to realize what's really important in their lives. For Snoop, it was his daughter's illness.
Today, Snoop's daughter is healthier and enjoying being a teenager:
"She's the toughest little thing I've ever met," the rapper says of his daughter. "She's on the honor roll, playing volleyball and softball, living life. She has all this joy. In the beginning, lupus was winning. But now Cori is."
Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease, where the body's defenses attack its own healthy cells as opposed to foreign viruses, germs and bacteria. Skin, joints and organs can be affected. The disease can be life threatening, and those who have it go through periods where the disease flares up and then goes in to remission.
Doctors do not know what causes the disease but believe it is related to a genetic mutation. Approximately 1.5 million Americans have the disease and women ages 15 to 44 are most prone.
Women of color are two to three more likely than whites to develop the disease.
Black women also develop the disease earlier, have more severe symptoms (including kidney problems) and are more likely to die from the disease.
Still, awareness about the disease is lagging, according to the Lupus Foundation of America. One survey found that only 40 percent of young people surveyed had even heard of the disease, although young adulthood is when the disease is most likely to strike.
These days, Shante and Snoop are out raising awareness about the disease. They have participated in several fundraisers for Lupus LA and Shante officialy joined the group's board of directors earlier this month.
"It's amazing how this all turned out. We were gonna get a divorce. But we wouldn't have gotten through it (that way,)" Shante said.
Comments: (89)
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By: keasia on 7/21/2010 6:04PM
mi mom is going threw it now and she is on her death bed its realy hard to deal with but the lord is always on mi side....
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By: Candy4yuu on 7/23/2010 12:37AM
All I can say is,"I pray for Snoop and his entire family and may God keep his loving arms around Cory as she battles this terrible disease.It took this horrible thing to happen in order for Snoop to realize that with his "family" is where he belonged,now the Brodis family is in for the fight of their lives and I pray they win it like all of the other families all over the world suffering from lupus as well as all other diseases that make their lives unbearable each day.God,please protect and keep all your children who are in suffering...
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By: Ms. J on 7/22/2010 1:05AM
Cori, all I can tell you is keep fighting the fight. I also had to do research on autoimmune diseases 4 years ago when I finally was diagnosed with multiple scerosis. Before I got diagnosed they kept telling me it was other things and giving me all these medications. When I found out what I actually had and researched it, everything started making since. Sometimes you will get mad because you cannot do some of the things you use to do when you feel weak. But you have to keep trying. As long as you have a good support system, and I know you do, you will be fine. You are in my prayers.
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By: beverly on 7/22/2010 7:40AM
god bless you snoopy dog and family i know what you are going through my mother and aunt had lupus and a dear friend of mind that i feel like she is a daughter to me there ups and downs they have be strong abd pray help her she will get through this god bless you i will pray for her also
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By: sagewsagf on 8/06/2010 11:22PM
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By: sharon on 8/16/2010 7:45PM
Even though I'm 60 yrs old I have listened and loved your music from when you first started. There are a few autoimmune diorders. And one is called sarcoidosis. Like lupus the body attacks itself. In my case it was my lungs and i ws told it can attack other organs as well even your heart. I was place on steroids which made me swell untill i couldn't breath so i quit taking them . I began to pray for healing, kept my stress level down and got plenty of rest. Then I went into remission. I recently noticed when i got a flu and pneumonia shot i got sick again. after a month i went back into remission. This is the same disorder Bernie Mack died from. Much love to you and your family Snoop. I'm praying for Cori.
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By: lori on 10/13/2010 11:11PM
my cousin was diagnosed with Lupus earlier this year. I had know idea the toll it would take on her physically, and the impact that this disease has on a family. Her husband made a video and entered it into the Sears Billion Points contest, to help raise awareness of lupus. If they win, The lupus foundation receives $125,000. They made it to the top 20 finalists, and are the only finalist to name the Lupus Foundation as a charity. Please help us direct this money to the lupus foundation. Please vote for her video at:
https://sears.promo.eprize.com/billion/gallery?id=3982
people can vote once a day until November 3rd. This has already helped to raise awareness being in the top 20, but we are hoping more votes can help us do more! Thank you! Lori
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By: KAVESHA BUNCH on 5/26/2011 11:56PM
IM A 25 YR OLD THAT HAS BEEN LIVING WITH LUPUS SINCE THE AGE OF 14.AT THE BEGINING THE DOCTORS THOUGHT I WOULDNT MAKE IT TO 16 AND FOR THAT I HAVE TO THANK GOD.MY LIFE HAS BEEN AN UP AND DOWN ROLLERCOASTER,AND MANY DAYS I WANT TO JUST GIVE UP BECAUSE I DONT HAVE THE KIND A FAMILY PEOPLE I THIS SITUATION SHOULD HAVE BEHIND THEM.ITS HARD WHEN YOU TRY TO TELL PEOPLE HOW YOU FEEL AND NO ONE REALLY UNDERSTANDS.I THINK IT WOULD BE ALOT EASSIER IF I HAD SOMEONE TO TALK TO THAT HAS GONE THROUGH THE UO AND DOWNS AS I HAVE.THIS DISEASE HAS ALSO AFFECTED MY KIDNEYS,MY BONES, AND MY WEIGHT.NAME IVE PROBABLY BEEN THROUGH IT.IF IT WASNT FOR MY GOD I DONT THINK I WOULD HAVE LASTED THROUGH ALL OF IT AND STILL BE IKN MY RIGHT MIND.IVE REALLY BEEN WANTING TO GET A LUPUS FUNDRAISER AND AWARENESS CEREMONY TOGETHER FOR YEARS,CAUSE THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO STILL HAVENT HEARD ABOUT THE DISEASE AND SOME THAT HAVE HEARD AND DONT REALLY KNOW WHAT IT IS.WE HAVE TO FIND A CURE FOR THIS DISEASE SO THAT THERE CAN BE A FUTURE THATS FREE OF THIS DEADLY DISEASE.AWARENESS HAS TO START FROM SOMEWHERE,HOW ABOUT HERE.
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By: Petrina Fields on 5/14/2012 8:18PM
I too have Lupus and I know what it's like to suffer from this disease. I have hair lost, butterfly rash on face, other rashes on face and ears also in mouth, joint aches all the time. I thank God it doesn't affect my kidneys. I am 51yrs. old and it started year 2003. I probably had this disease all my life and didn't know it. I tell you one thing stress played a big part in my life for this disease popped up. I pray that they found a cure. Until then lets keep each other and all those who suffer from this disease in prayer and the family's. God Bless.
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