Lupus Awareness Month Recap with Lots of Photos!

June 2012 Update

Greetings!

When you POP...you POP! Please accept my deepest thanks for your tremendous support of Lupus Awareness Month and especially our Put on Purple campaign!

Thank you for putting on purple and for all of your posts to Facebook and Twitter, great photos and most importantly for your commitment to promoting lupus awareness! Together during the month of May, we have reached an overwhelming number of people - more than 6,000 in fact - through a variety of outreach efforts including:

More than 20 educational presentations, lupus awareness exhibits and teleconferences - with thousands of pieces of lupus literature being disseminated in PA, DE and Southern NJ;
Walk for Lupus Now in Southern NJ - more than 800 strong;
A successful World Lupus Day Rally in Love Park in Philadelphia;
Dozens of POP events that you organized in your own communities;
Area landmarks illuminated in purple;
And social media campaigns - We especially want to thank the 2,900 people who pledged to Put on Purple with us for Lupus Awareness!

In addition, thousands and thousands more were reached through our billboard and public relations campaign, which generated print, radio and television coverage! Click here to check out our World Lupus Day Rally coverage on Action News.

If you have not already shared your photos or activities from Lupus Awareness Month, please be sure to do so by emailing us at info@lupustristate.org.

I know your dedication to the lupus movement does not begin and end with Lupus Awareness Month...it is ongoing! Be sure to read on to learn about what exciting programs and activities are up next and also see our research update.

Until next time...keep on POPPING!

With deepest thanks and warmest regards,

Annette G. Myarick

CEO

Delaware Symposium this Saturday!

Living Well With Lupus Delaware

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Christiana Hospital, Room 1100

4755 Ogletown Stanton Road

Newark, DE 19718

Schedule:

Registration and Continental Breakfast: 10:00am
Program: 10:30am-12:00pm

Making a Difference Starts with One Step!

Be part of the Lupus Foundation of America's (LFA) Walk for Lupus Now and help raise critically needed funds and awareness for this unpredictable and life-threatening disease. Every step you take and every dollar you raise supports the LFA's mission of improving the quality of life for all people affected by lupus, and advancing the science and medicine of lupus to find a cure.

Join Us on Sunday, June 24, 2012
Walk for Lupus Now Delaware

Dravo Plaza at Riverfront Wilmington
Wilmington, DE

On-Site Registration/ Check-in: 7:30 am

Walk beings: 8:30 am

SAVE THE DATE:

18th Annual Lupus Links Golf Tournament

Monday, July 16, 2012

Green Valley Country Club

Lafayette Hill, PA

Presented by:

Ronald A. Krancer

The Levinson Family

Click to view our Sponsorship Opportunities.

We are also looking for donations of gift certificates, merchandise, and services to include in our Lupus Links Silent Auction. Please email Cate if you or your company are willing to make a donation.

Scroll for Lots of Great Photos from our
Lupus Awareness Month Activities!

Love Park Fountain turned PURPLE for Lupus Awareness.

Members of Loop Team Angie's Loopie Groupies volunteering at the World Lupus Day Rally.

Whole families fully adorned in PURPLE came out to enjoy the World Lupus Day Rally!

LFA, Philadelphia Tri-State Chapter Board Member, Leyla Moreno, shared her personal lupus story and encouraged others to get involved with lupus awareness activities.

Beautiful photo of Philadelphia's Boathouse Row illuminated PURPLE.

One of the 40,000 Philadelphia Tri-State residents living with lupus rallying for lupus awareness.

The Benjamin Franklin Bridge POPs for Lupus Awareness!

Who do you Walk for? Participants at the Walk for Lupus Now South Jersey added their own names or the names of their loved ones to our Butterfly Wall.

Team members of oneHEARToneLOVEoneDESTINY at the Walk for Lupus Now South Jersey.

Chapter CEO, Annette Myarick, Puts On Purple with her pup for lupus awareness!

Staff and volunteers at our World Lupus Day exhibit at Philadelphia's Market East Station.

South Jersey Sweethearts at the Walk for Lupus Now South Jersey.

Mom's Lil' Angels showing off their purple on the Ocean City Boardwalk.

Supporting Linda Every Step of the Way... with lots of love and hugs!

The Lightfoot Crew walking in loving memory of Michael.

LFA, Philadelphia Tri-State Chapter Board Chair, Deb Jepson, displaying the different ways that lupus can affect the body.

Team Kara walking in support of Kara and her fight against lupus.

Research Update

Combinations of Biomarkers Indicate Lupus Nephritis Pathology
Lupus nephritis, or lupus-related inflammation of the kidney, is one of the most common and potentially problematic aspects of systemic lupus erythematosus. Currently, a definitive diagnosis of lupus nephritis can only be made by a kidney biopsy, which involves removal of a small piece of kidney tissue for study. This procedure is invasive and, in some cases, the kidney may already be in a relatively advanced disease state at the time of the biopsy. The use of lupus biomarkers, such as those present in the blood or urine, to help predict and/or manage lupus nephritis over time could be very useful. The results of this study highlight the potential feasibility of using lupus biomarkers to differentiate between acute and chronic kidney disease activity-related changes.
Read more>>

Reproductive Behavior Among Women with Lupus

Women with chronic illnesses such as lupus may have fewer children than they want due to a number of concerns related to having lupus. These concerns include disease-related disability, damage from medications, and potential transmission of disease to offspring. A more detailed understanding of the reproductive behavior of women with lupus can help identify their needs in terms of caring for their disease and become educated about its possible effects, including those on reproduction. The results of this study highlight the reproductive behavior of women with lupus, as compared to those with rheumatoid arthritis, and suggest the need for them to communicate with their physicians about the use of medications considered safe for them and their potential offspring.
Read more>>

Predictors of Bone Density Changes in Children with Lupus

People with lupus are at increased risk of osteoporosis, the thinning or loss of bone tissue over time. Children with lupus may be especially susceptible to osteoporosis because they are genetically influenced to acquire over 90% of their bone growth by the end of adolescence (during which time, lupus disease-related mechanisms may work to reduce bone growth). Other factors, however, such as physical activity and vitamin D intake are also known to influence bone development in children. The degree to which children reach their genetically-influenced degree of bone growth is largely unknown. The results of this study identify a trajectory of bone growth over time in children newly diagnosed with lupus, and identify specific factors that influence this trajectory.
Read more>>

Learn about Lupus Clinical Trials

Today, there are more than 20 investigational drugs for lupus in various phases of research. Advances in medical research to find new, safer, and more tolerable treatments may improve the future of people living with lupus. Critical to this process are the volunteers who participate in clinical research studies that test the safety and effectiveness of these new treatments. Lupus Foundation of America's (LFA) Center for Clinical Trials Education (CCTE) provides useful information about clinical research to help people decide whether and how to participate. People can register with the new Lupus Research Registry and be notified of clinical trials in their area. In addition, you can find lupus research studies on the CCTE Search page.