May is Band Together for Lupus Awareness month and this Friday, May 18 is the day to Put On Purple for Lupus Awareness!
Will you participate? Show your support for this devastating disease – new research showed that 59% of Americans don’t even know what Lupus is or that lupus affects more than 1.5 million Americans – many of them fatally.
I am lucky because I have only had a few flare-ups in the ten years since I have been diagnosed and although it has still impacted my family and my life, there are many people with this disease that are so debilitated that they cannot work or care for their families. There is NO CURE for lupus. We need research and awareness. Please help.
Lupus Facts
- Lupus is an unpredictable and complex autoimmune disease that causes inflammation and can damage any organ in the body with life-threatening consequences.
- Some people have genes that allow them to develop lupus. Factors that may trigger lupus in these people include infections, ultraviolet light, extreme stress, certain prescription drugs, and certain hormones.
- More than 90 percent of people with lupus will experience joint and/or muscle pain that can be disabling.
- Lupus can be an expensive disease. The average annual cost to provide healthcare for a person with lupus is $12,643, and rises to nearly $21,000 when lost work productivity is included.
- Systemic lupus is the most common type of lupus. Systemic lupus can affect any organ system of the body, including the heart, kidneys, lungs, blood, joints, and skin.
- As many as 80 percent of people with lupus experience fatigue. For some, fatigue can be debilitating, even to the point of forcing them to stop working.
The Lupus Foundation of America is an incredible organization that works tirelessly to raise money for lupus research and to spread the word about awareness. Lupus can mimic other diseases so many of us spent months at doctors (or longer) before we were diagnosed.
How You Can Get Involved to Band Together for Lupus (from the Lupus Foundation of America):
- Follow @LupusOrg on twitter
- *Like* the Lupus Foundation of America on Facebook
- Listen to and share new podcasts with lupus experts.
- Share their lupus story on Lupus Voices Across America at www.lupusvoices.org.
- Include an article about lupus in their company newsletter or on their Web site.
- Post fliers in their community or around their office.
- Post a Web banner on their personal or company Web site linking to the LFA/Lupus Awareness Month activities.
- Distribute purple wristbands to friends (available for sale at www.shoplupus.org).
- Participate in Put On Purple Day on Friday, May 18 — encourage friends to wear purple proudly on this day and tell people why.
- Share lupus facts with their networks throughout the month of May via their social media pages.
Most importantly, share the information – share on your social media pages, at work, through email – raising awareness is vital!
This Friday, May 18 PUT ON PURPLE FOR LUPUS!
Take a picture and share it with us in the comments!
