Hey friends! I feel like many of you already know, but for those of you who don’t, I have Lupus. I was diagnosed with Lupus in 2008 while in college. What is Lupus? Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease that can damage any part of the body including skin, joints and/or internal organs. In Lupus, something goes wrong with the immune system, which is the part of the body that fights off viruses, bacteria, and germs. "Autoimmunity" means your immune system cannot tell the difference between these foreign invaders and your body’s healthy tissues. As a result, it creates autoantibodies that attack and destroy healthy tissue. These autoantibodies cause inflammation, pain, and damage in various parts of the body. For me, Lupus affects my joints, especially in my hands, wrists, knees and ankles. Another symptom that I have is Alopecia, which is the partial or complete absence of hair from areas of the body where it normally grows. 

Thankfully, my Lupus has been and is currently MOSTLY mild compared to the debilitating symptoms that others endure. My history with kidney issues have passed, and my lab work has been stable for over a year. Although my kidneys are doing much better, all the germs I have been collecting in my first grade classroom has kept me with some type of sinus/chest congestion since early November. Steroids, antibiotics and over the counter medications just haven’t been able to shake all these kid germs. I make the best of each day, but I am always thinking about the endless complications that this disease could bring my way.

This year’s Walk to End Lupus Now-Milwaukee. It will take place in person on Saturday, May 11th at Hoyt Park in Wauwatosa. If you would like to join my team and walk with me this May OR if you would like to donate to my team, you can do so by clicking the link below! 

https://secure.qgiv.com/event/team/946899/edit/

Any donations are truly appreciated as I work to beat my fundraising total from last year. This year’s goal is $6,000 

Thank you all for the support! 

Jen