Lupus Foundation of America
http://www.lupus.org
August 1998 was not only the beginning of my college career; it was the beginning of my fight with Systemic Lupus. The joyous occasion of entering college was suddenly turned to a sea of uncertainty with my diagnosis. My condition eventually became worse and there were many days I could not get out of my bed. The medicine the doctors gave me improved some things but made others worse. Fortunately for me, my story has a happy ending. My condition has improved and I have not had any symptoms for years.
Lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease manifested by its effect on different parts of the body. Effected areas include the skin, blood, joints and kidneys. With this condition, the body’s immune system attacks its own cells and tissues, often resulting in pain, inflammation and many times damage to organs. For many people, the disease is mild and affects only a few organs. For others, however, the disease can be brutal and even life threatening.
My platform is to find a cure for Lupus. More than 90% of people with lupus are women. Symptoms and diagnosis mostly occur between the ages of 15 and 45 for women. The last time a new drug was approved to treat lupus was when Dwight D. Eisenhower was president. This 52 year wait is finally over and a new drug has been finally been approved for use. Although we are excited about Benlysta, this drug can not be used by all Lupus patients. Despite this, Benlysta gives hope that there will be more drugs that follows in the future and hopefully a cure for Lupus will eventually be discovered!
The Lupus Foundation of America is the nation’s leading nonprofit voluntary health organization dedicated to finding the causes of and cure for lupus and providing support and services to all people affected by lupus.