Things were looking up for Toni Braxton in 2010. In November of that year, she received the Women in Achievement award. During her speech, however, the singer emotionally spoke about her life outside of music. Braxton shared with the audience that she'd recently been diagnosed with lupus. "Today I'm going to talk about it because I'm a survivor and I'm here, and I don't want to lose hope," she said, as Billboard reported at the time. "Take a look — this is what lupus looks like." 

Though she bravely stood on stage and discussed her diagnosis, Braxton wasn't always so fearless. In a 2020 interview with Prevention, the singer spoke about feeling terrified when doctors told her she had the autoimmune disease. "I was petrified, depressed, and scared, but I realized I had to change my life," she recalled. "I may have lupus, but I decided I was not going to be a victim. Now, I listen to my body."

At the time of her diagnosis, doctors told Braxton that lupus was affecting her heart and she may need a heart transplant. In the end, the "You Mean The World To Me" singer thankfully ended up not needing an organ donation.

These days, Braxton is an advocate for lupus awareness and manages the disease alongside her career. "They initially said I would never be able to perform, but here I am today performing," she told Business Insider in 2020. The singer has made some adjustments, such as decreasing the number of shows she performs and wearing a heart monitor on stage, but she hasn't hung up her microphone.