Thank you for visiting my fundraising page!

On September 26, 2009, I'll be participating in the Lupus Alliance's 15th Annual Metro Walk for Lupus in Harrison Township, Michigan.  For those of you who know me, you know I've been participating in this walk for a few years now, in one way or another.  Last year I did the entire walk in my wheelchair, but I did it!  I'm hoping to make it again this year.  For me, this fundraiser has become more than raising very needed money for a very underfunded disease -- it's become a way to let people know what lupus is.  AND, this year, new to the event, Snap Fitness is sponsoring the walk and providing on site warm up.  Snap Fitness has agreed to provide each registered walker with a one week pass to any Snap Fitness gym. Additionally, they will be offering a discounted membership to everyone at the walk! Great Turtle Toys will also be joining us – bring the kids! 

I talk to a LOT of people who've heard of lupus but really have no idea what it is.  Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease that is hard to diagnose, difficult to manage and if not treated can become life threatening. In simple terms, lupus develops when the body becomes "allergic to itself." There is no cure for lupus. Lupus is more prevalent than sickle cell anemia, cerebral palsy and cystic fibrosis, yet it is the least known of all major diseases. This fundraiser is designed to increase awareness, educate and improve the quality of life for those affected by lupus.

Lupus is also a very individual disease -- it hits everyone differently.  Some people become sick very acutely, get on medication, and have to think very little about it except for more than an average number of doctor's visits.  Some people go years without a definitive diagnosis, getting progressively sicker as time goes on -- this has been my experience.  It took several years, and several doctors, before I was diagnosed and finally put on a protocol of medications.  The medications run the course from anti-inflammatories to low levels of chemotherapy drugs and meds used to prevent rejection of an organ transplant.  They are rough medications and require constant monitoring to make sure the treatments are not doing more harm than good. 

Those of us with lupus tend to be very susceptible to whatever "bug" is going around.  New symptoms or infections are common and can be severe and scary.  Instead of getting a cold, we'll get pneumonia.  Instead of getting a headache, we'll have a seizure or a stroke.  Instead of having a hangnail, we'll get an infection that threatens to take our hand.

And daily life is completely changed:  instead of being able to get up, do laundry, make lunch for everyone, go to work, come home and fix dinner, we take hours to painfully get out of bed and get dressed, only to end up too tired to do anything but lay back down again.  We need help with many tasks throughout the day that most people take for granted.  Our worlds often become frustratingly small, with people visiting when we are not able to leave our homes easily.  We wish for the days when we went to work and got to talk and think about ANYTHING but lupus.

A new lupus medication was FDA approved this year.  This is the first new lupus medication in 50 years.  It's a scary enough disease without knowing that you might very well run out of medical options. 

So, what can you do?  Well, since I realize that most of us are still barely making it through this recession, instead of begging for your money (which we'd gladly take, and you are more than encouraged to donate.  In fact, donating through this website is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to support my fundraising efforts), what I ask is even more simple:  let me know you care. If you're in the area, come and walk -- bring the kids!  If you don't know me personally, or you're not close in proximity, I'm absolutely sure you know someone who could use some help around the house, help grocery shopping, a ride to the doctor or other errands (these are all things I now have difficulty with).  If you know someone -- anyone -- with a chronic disease, it never goes away.  It might wax and wane, but it never goes away, and that person can probably, at the least, use YOU -- your friendship and support.  I know that those are THE most important things someone can give to me.

I'm very lucky because I have a wonderfully supportive husband and parents, as well as a host of friends who let me know I haven't been forgotten.  Don't forget those in your life who might need a little extra support, in some way, from you.

Many thanks for your support -- and don't forget to forward this to anyone who you think might want to donate too!