SAFUN

Today was the “Walk with us to Cure Lupus” event at Brackenridge Park. My family had a team, Team SOL (Stomp Out Lupus), and we set a goal to raise $3000. My mom was the team captain and she got our team to raise $3688 as of today. The overall goal for San Antonio was $12,500 and we raised $22,656. Phenomenal! We are raising money for the Alliance for Lupus Research. Lupus is a disease that it difficult to diagnos and the medications to treat Lupus are very strong. We want to learn more about this disease so we can find better treatment methods as well as create awareness. We are doing this in memory of my Aunt RoseAnn who lost her life to Lupus at the age of 27 years. We also have members of our family on both sides that suffer from Lupus.

My Aunt Ruby helped put the event together and she did such an amazing job. We had such a great turn out. There was a balloon arch, Ronald McDonald appearance, drinks and snacks and a t-shirt contest. The weather was also perfect. It is so moving to see family and friends come together for a common purpose.

I really like Brackenridge park. It’s well kept and it is right in the heart of San Antonio. My only complaint? There are no recycling bins! We had tons of plastic bottles left over and the only option was a trash can. This is LAME San Antonio! So as a citizen of San Antonio, I am going to be contacting the San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department and inquire about putting recycling bins at Brackenridge. I will update you with my findings.

My Aunt RoseAnn was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) when she was just 14 years old. She battled the disease for 10 years before she passed away at only 27. She was such a happy person – energetic, optimistic, full of laughter – that you would have never known that she was suffering, but she was.This is a photo of her at her wedding. She actually was very sick on this day but she insisted on having the wedding. She passed away months later on New Year’s Eve 1994.

Other members of my family also suffer from different forms of Lupus.

Lupus is a chronic, potentially devastating autoimmune disease in which the immune system turns against the body’s own cells and tissues, causing inflammation and tissue damage.

There is still not a known cause of Lupus which makes it difficult to treat. All the drugs used to fight the disease usually make the individual extremely sick. Lupus affects 1.5 million Americans, more than patients with AIDS, SICKLE-CELL ANEMIA, CEREBRAL PALSY, MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS, AND CYSTIC FIBROSIS combined!  Thousands of Americans die from Lupus ever year. The scary thing is that it is extremely difficult to diagnose because it mimics other illnesses.

The Alliance for Lupus Research needs donations to further their research in discovering the cause of this disease and finding more effective forms of treatment.

My mom is captain for our team SOL (Stomp Out Lupus) and has set a goal of $3000. There will be Walk with Us to Cure Lupus on  Saturday, May 2nd at Brackenridge Park.

More Facts About Lupus

* Lupus can affect many parts of the body, including the joints, skin, kidneys, heart, lungs, blood vessels, and brain.

* Lupus affects people of all ages, including children, but it most often strikes people when they are between the ages of 15 and 45. Nine out of ten people with lupus are women.

* Lupus is three times more common among African American women than among Caucasian women, and is also more
common in women of Hispanic, Asian, and Native American descent.

Join the Cause!

On Saturday, May 2nd, I will be participating in the 2009 San Antonio Walk with Us to Cure Lupus Walkathon. You can join me in the fight against lupus by making a pledge on my behalf, or becoming a member of my team and walking alongside me.

100% of the proceeds from the Walk will go to Lupus Research.

My Personal ID Number is TXS-40062

You can donate online on my personal page. If you decide to sponsor me by sending a check, please include this number in the memo line.

Send your check directly to the ALR office at 28 W. 44th Street, Suite 501, New York, NY 10036.

The Alliance for Lupus Research has initiated a nationwide Walk program that is designed to raise both awareness and dollars for the fight against lupus.

The Alliance for Lupus Research was founded in 1999 through the vision and commitment of Robert Wood Johnson IV and the support of the Arthritis Foundation. Since its inception, the ALR has committed more than $50 million to lupus research. Now we seek to raise unprecedented additional funds for lupus research through the Walk Program. Walk proceeds will enable us to support the work of well-established researchers currently working in the field and to attract bright and energetic new scientists to lupus research.

My aunt, RoseAnn, was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) when she was just 14 years old. She battled the disease for 10 years before she passed away at only 27 years old. She was such a happy person that you would have never known that she was suffering, but she was. SLE is an autoimmune disease, which causes the body to attack its own tissue and organs.

There is still not a known cause of Lupus which makes it difficult to treat. All the drugs used to fight the disease usually make the individual extremely sick. Even though Lupus affects 1 million Americans, the average amount a patient receives in research funding is only $21 compared to $10,000 per patient in other disease research. Thousands of Americans die from Lupus ever year. The scary thing is that it is extremely difficult to diagnose because it mimics other illnesses.

The Alliance for Lupus Research needs donations to further their research in discovering the cause of this disease and finding more effective forms of treatment.

My other Aunt, Ruby (RoseAnn’s sister) is forming a team to raise money and support ALR. There will be Walk with Us to Cure Lupus this coming Saturday, May 12th at McCallister Park. Her team goal is $1000. Please donate and support our cause at http://walk.lupusresearch.org/site/TR?fr_id=1580&pg=teamlist. Our team name is Running Ramirezes.

We appreciate the support!