A little more than a week ago, the government kicked off a Lupus Awareness Campaign ... The campaign targets those who are most impacted by lupus -- young minority women. As I've mentioned in previous posts, I have a former colleague who had lupus and despite the difficulties associated with her condition -- she was one of the most vibrant and productive women I have ever known. Lupus was never an excuse to not be fully engaged in life or work and I've always admired this aspect of her personality.
Lupus is often called a 'woman's disease" although it affects men as well. About 1.5 to 2 million people are affected by the autoimmune disorder in which the immune system can't discern between its own cells and tissues and foreign substances. The result can mean damage to various parts of the body, inflammation and pain, according to the Lupus Foundation of America.
To learn more, visit empowher.com's lupus page or the Lupus Foundation of America.
Also, womenshealth.gov has a great printable chart to track symptoms of lupus that you can take to your doctor.
You can also visit www.couldihavelupus.com
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MY DAUGHTER IS 18YRS OLD ,,,,,,,,,,AND WEN BEEN LIVING WITH LUPUS SINCE SHE WAS 7YRS OLD ,,,AT THAT TIME SHE WAS THE YOUNGEST IN THE U.S WITH IT ,,,,,,,,,,,,,, SHE HAS REALLY HAD ARE HARD TIME ,,,,,,,
May 15, 2009 - 7:26pmThis Comment
Thank you for posting this information.
A couple of the links above weren't working, so may I help by posting them here:
empowHer's lupus page
The Lupus Foundation of America
You might also be interested in this article about how amateur cyclist, Chris Paradysz, broke a 24-hour ride record at a Pennsylvania velodrome while raising money for lupus awareness on behalf of his daughter who suffers from lupus SLE.
There are also walks, runs and cycling events staged across the U.S. and U.K. as fundraisers for lupus awareness and research. Check your local chapter of the Lupus Foundation, find a walk or run near you for the Alliance for Lupus Research.
After reading about a woman who trained to run a half marathon in spite of her lupus, I was inspired to train for distance events. That was 4 years ago and I have since done several 5-10Ks, 7 half marathons and 2 full marathons, with 2 more marathons scheduled this year. I usually tell people that I started training to deal with menopause weight because, when I say I have lupus, the response is typically, "Oh..." Most people simply don't understand it, even when they know someone who has it.
I also have my grandfather as inspiration. But, that's another story.
April 27, 2009 - 7:22pmThis Comment