Lupus Foundation of America Drives Nationwide Effort to Make Lupus Visible During Lupus Awareness Month

Each May, the Lupus Foundation of America unites communities to shed light on lupus, highlighting its impact while advocating for increased awareness of the disease and expanded support for lupus research and education programs.

During Lupus Awareness Month in May, the Lupus Foundation of America will bring communities together to raise awareness of the disease that affects millions worldwide, and generate funds to bolster lupus research, educational programs and support services.

Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease, where the immune system attacks healthy tissue in various parts of the body and leads to inflammation, pain, and damage to any organ system in the body. Despite its prevalence, lupus remains widely misunderstood, and awareness of the disease lags behind other serious illnesses. Many of the symptoms of lupus aren't always visible, causing symptoms to often go unnoticed or misdiagnosed. Lupus disproportionately affects women and individuals from certain racial and ethnic backgrounds, including Black/African-American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian-American, and Pacific Islander communities.

Throughout May, the Lupus Foundation of America will Make Lupus Visible by highlighting different lupus topics, amplifying lupus personal stories and sharing valuable resources. Each week the Foundation will focus on an important step in the patient journey using firsthand testimonials from lupus warriors sharing their stories.

A special highlight of Lupus Awareness Month this year is the National Lupus Advocacy Summit, the largest in-person lupus advocacy event, held in Washington, DC May 19-21. This event underscores the importance of garnering support for the lupus cause, aiming to secure increased funding for lupus research, improve access to care for those affected by this challenging disease and facilitate meetings between lupus advocates and their representatives to advance policies to improve the lives of all people with lupus.

Lupus Awareness Month is the perfect time to join the fight against lupus. Seasoned lupus advocates and newcomers alike can Make Lupus Visible through some of the following:

● Share lupus facts, graphics and resources using the Lupus Foundation of America's awareness toolkit.
● Join the global lupus community on May 10 for World Lupus Day by wearing purple, and sharing on social media why raising lupus awareness is important to you.
● Host an event as a fundraiser or start a Facebook fundraiser, and invite your community to support the fight to end lupus.
● Make a donation to support lupus research, education programs and support services.

"Every person that is raising awareness for this mysterious disease during Lupus Awareness Month is helping to fuel a very powerful lupus community that is determined to bring an end to lupus," shared Mary T. Crimmings, Interim CEO and Senior Vice President for Marketing and Communications at the Lupus Foundation of America. "Together, as we Make Lupus Visible in May and share information, personal stories, and resources, we empower individuals affected by lupus and drive progress towards earlier diagnosis, increased funding for research, and better care."

We want to recognize and thank our sponsors for supporting our weekly awareness topics during May - Exagen for supporting our focus on diagnosis, Aurinia Pharmaceuticals for highlighting the importance of treatment, AstraZeneca for focusing on the importance of patient advocacy and GSK for supporting our focus on life with lupus and ways to cope with the disease.

For more information on Lupus Awareness Month and how to get involved, visit www.lupus.org/lam.

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