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  WHAT IS LUPUS?  Lupus is a devastating disease. It affects approximately 1.5 million people in the U.S. with a majority being women between the ages of 18 and 45.  It can cause un-repairable damage to vital organs and tissue when the body's immune system attacks itself. No two lupus patients are alike. People with lupus are all affected differently, and not every lupus patient has the same symptoms.  It is an extremely hard disease to diagnose because of this reason.  Those of us who have been diagnosed with lupus also must deal with the harsh reality that there is no cure, and there has not been one new drug to treat lupus in 50 years. 

  There are two types of lupus.  Systemic (affecting the blood, organs and tissues) and Discoid (affecting the skin).

Some interesting but devastating facts of lupus are:

-About half of people with lupus have anemia (low red blood cell counts), and up to half can have thrombocytopenia (low platelet counts) and leukopenia (low white blood cell counts). Low platelet counts can lead to bleeding and bruising in the skin and if severe, it can cause internal bleeding.

-More than 50% of lupus patients will have some sort of lung disease

-The skin is involved in almost 90% of lupus patients

-  Serious brain and nerve problems and acute psychiatric syndromes occur in about 15% of patients with lupus.

-The kidney is involved clinically in more than half of all people with lupus.

In the past lupus was considered a fatal disease. The first survival study in 1939 stated that one-half of all lupus patients were dead within two years.  By 1955 life expectancy grew to four years.  Then in 1969 half of lupus patients died within 10 years.  Yet today over 90 percent of lupus patients live more than 10 years beyond diagnosis.  Even with organ threatening disease 60 percent of patients survive 15 to 20 years

  I was diagnosed with Systemic lupus 4 years ago.  No one knows what causes lupus because there is little to no research on the disease.    

  Because so little is known about lupus, this fundraiser is very important in increasing awareness of those who suffer from the disease but also to help find a cure.  All of the money raised stays within this local community.  So, today I am asking you for your help in a donation to the Pacific Northwest Chapter Lupus Foundation of America. All money raised locally stays in this local community.  My friends and family will be joining me for the Mad Hatter Walk and Roll to help spread awareness of this disease.  Thank you for your donations and support! 

Donating through this website is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to support my fundraising efforts.

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