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During her second year at the University of Arizona, Norton refocused her career direction. Instead of subduing her, the obstacles to her athletic ambitions instead became an inspiration to acquire medical knowledge, and in 1993, Norton transferred to a premed program at Columbia University in New York.

After only a few months at Columbia University, she had an even more severe onset of symptoms-or "flare"--and entered the emergency room at Mount Sinai Hospital with overt symptoms. She had been off steroids for a while at that time, and a definitive diagnosis of lupus was made by the ER physician. At first, Norton was flooded with relief. For years, people had been puzzled by her complaints, and some implied that the disease might be "in her head." Now at last, there was a diagnosis, and hopefully, treatment. The team at Mount Sinai referred Norton to a rheumatologist, who began treating her flares with prednisone. These episodes reoccurred about once every three months or so, and after an initial high dose, the steroids were gradually reduced.

In November of 1994 however, Norton confronted the potential severity of lupus. She was hospitalized with severe chest pain and difficulty breathing and was diagnosed with pericarditis. The pericardium is a thin layer of tissue covering the outer surfaces of the heart; this tissue had become inflamed. The pain was most severe when Norton lay down and could only be relieved by leaning forward in a sitting position. Again, a high dose of intravenous (IV) steroids brought the inflammation under control.

Two months later in January of 1995, Norton had an even more severe episode. At the time she was still diving, and she began to feel a terrible dizziness in some of the moves which involved a twist in the air. The dizziness persisted and was soon accompanied by severe headaches and stiffness and extreme pain with eye movements. She had developed aseptic meningitis, an inflammation of the thin membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. Her symptoms were those typically associated with lupus, but with increased severity: rash, fever, drowsiness, severe headache, stiff neck, and sensitivity to light.