10 Things You Didn’t Know about Lupus

Source: The Lupus Foundation of America

Lupus is a mysterious and complicated illness that is difficult to diagnose and challenging to treat. Despite its widespread prevalence, about two thirds of the public have little or no knowledge of its effects. This Lupus Awareness Month, you can help spread knowledge and bring us closer to a future free from lupus.

1.  Lupus is an unpredictable autoimmune disease that can affect the heart, lungs, skin or kidneys.

2.  A lupus patient’s average medical and loss of productivity costs are roughly $20,000 per year, and can increase to $63,000 per year if he or she has kidney complications. 

3.  No special diet has been found to cure lupus or cause it to go into remission.

4.  In certain cases, people with lupus are treated with cyclophosphamide, a chemotherapy drug commonly used to treat cancer that suppresses the immune system.  

5.  The steroids used to treat people with lupus are the same ones that body builders and some professional athletes have been known to use.

6.  While lupus affects people of all races and ethnicities, African Americans — as well as Hispanics/Latinos, Asians, Pacific Islanders and Native Americans — are diagnosed with lupus 2-3 times more often than Caucasians.

7.  Lupus is not contagious. It cannot be “caught” or “passed on” to anyone, no matter what symptoms are showing.

8.  Sensitivity to UV light (present in both sunlight and artificial light) affects as many as two thirds of individuals with lupus. This is known to cause fever, debilitating fatigue, joint pain, and rashes. 

9.  Lupus is not a form of arthritis, but many people with lupus do suffer from joint and/or muscle pain.

10. It is estimated that more than 5 million people throughout the world have a form of lupus.

Test your knowledge about these facts and more by taking the KNOW LUPUS challenge at lupus.org/know and visit lupus.org/awareness to learn more about how you can take action this Lupus Awareness Month.

Lupus Make Your Way

Dear Friends and Family,

I’m participating in the Lupus Foundation of America’s Make Your Mark™ program. I am participating in to raise critical funds to improve the quality of life for all people affected by lupus through programs of research, education, support and advocacy.

Lupus is an unpredictable and misunderstood disease in which the immune system is out of balance, causing damage to any organ system in the body. The exact cause of lupus is unknown and while lupus can strike anyone at any time, 90 percent of the 1.5 million Americans living with the disease are females.

The Lupus Foundation of America is the only national force devoted to solving the mystery of lupus, one of the world’s cruelest, most devastating diseases. We envision a life free of lupus. That is why I’m coming to you now, to ask for your support. Will you make a tax-deductible donation to support my fundraising efforts? Your gift today can make a definite impact and help me to get closer to my fundraising goal.

What’s more, if your employer offers a Matching Gift Program to employees you may be able to double your contribution.

Thank you for your generosity,
Felicia Qhamata

P.S. I invite you to learn more about the Lupus Foundation of America and their great work at http://www.lupus.org/

Lupus Awareness Day

So May 15th is Lupus Awareness day.  I need everyone to POP 

with me tomorrow. Take a look around your closet. If you are a 

crafter craft a purple butterfly or just a purple ribbon. Any purple 

will do. Text, email or attach your pics to this 

event. ‪#‎PutOnPurple‬ ‪#‎KnowLupus‬

Also raising funds in Memory of my Mom and Uncle Gene here:http://lupus.donorpages.com/Raise4Lupus/TPQ

Side note the TPQ stands for Thompson, Powe and Qhamata ;)

I am raising funds for the Lupus Foundation of America (LFA). My goal is to raise $250 for the 1.5 million people living with lupus in the United States. Your donation will help me reach my personal fundraising goal and I hope that you'll help me reach this goal! I realize these are tough times for many people, but every little bit helps!!

This page is in memory of two people in my family that didn't survive the fight.  My uncle Gene who died before I was born and was my moms best friend.  And my Mother who died when I was 15.  My mother found she had Lupus when she was working a job involving meat hooks and she got one stuck in her ankle.  When the wound wouldn't heal she went to the doctor.  This was day one.  So many years later she was warned against having kids, but she had me anyways.  I'm grateful for the fight she put up to stay and make me the person I am today and I'm happy that she is finally resting. 

Lupus Awareness Month!!! Help solve this cruel mystery!

Help Solve the Cruel Mystery of Lupus by Raising Awareness this May

Lupus is one of the cruelest, most mysterious diseases on earth -- an unpredictable and misunderstood autoimmune disease that ravages different parts of the body. Research shows lupus, which affects an estimated 1.5 million Americans, is more pervasive and more severe than people think, and has an impact that the public doesn’t realize.

May is Lupus Awareness Month and we can all do our part to raise awareness of lupus and show support for those who suffer from its brutal impact. The Lupus Foundation of America is urging the public to join them throughout the month to educate others and improve public understanding of lupus -- an important key to unlocking the mysteries of lupus.

The Lupus Foundation of America is working to energize the public and ultimately Congress to devote serious resources to lupus research. Without sufficient funding, research studies to find the causes of lupus and to discover new safe, tolerable and effective lupus treatments will be delayed and the search for a cure will be seriously impaired. You can go online to sign a petition asking Congress to provide more money for lupus research at lupus.org/petition.

The Lupus Foundation of America is also again asking the public to Put On Purple for lupus awareness by wearing purple and telling people why they are showing their support for all people affected by this disease. Put On Purple Day^TM will take place on Friday, May 17, 2013, and is one of many programs taking place during May.

There are many other ways you can help raise awareness of lupus during May. Lupus Awareness Month activities include social media, online and grassroots components and there are many tools available so everyone can get involved and educate their communities.

The public can learn more about lupus and ways to get involved in improving awareness of this devastating disease this May by visiting the Lupus Foundation of America’s website at lupus.org. Tools, free of charge, are available at lupus.org/awarenesskit.