Lupus Blog Spotlight: My Life Works Today!

Good morning everyone.

Hope you're getting ready for the Thanksgiving holiday. I know I'm looking forward to it. I'm traveling to Jersey to see family. Should be a lot of fun.

It's been a while since I did a lupus blog spotlight, so I thought I would this morning. I want to share this blog with you. It is called My Life Works Today!

Here's a little bit about Maria, a blogger living in Oregon who runs this site.

"The mission of My Life Works Today! is to inspire individuals who are living with all forms of lupus and lupus-related illnesses ... by being a strong resource of opportunities reflecting the potential and well-being of our Oregon and SW Washington communities.

"As a means of supporting individuals to succeed in their wellness management, we designed this project to offer focused educational workshops, supportive resources and a social network made up of other local individuals who are also committed to designing their own self-care. By utilizing the abundance of information already present through the internet, written media, existing programs and the participants themselves, MLWT gathers this information and creates a learning satellite community for individuals to draw inspiration from.

"We also offer information, discussion groups and presentations for the others in our lives such as family, friends, employers and co-workers so that they may gain a much clearer understanding of what they can do to provide us the support we need to be successful. Self-reliance is important and strengthening our networks, in turn, strengthens us and our healing capacities."

If you have some time, swing by My Life Works Today! and say hi.

That's the lupus scoop from my end. Happy Monday, and have a Happy Thanksgiving.

Until next time, Wick

Store Spotlight: "The Right Moves for Lupus Fitness" DVD

If lupus has you on the sidelines rather than in the middle of the action, this new low-impact exercise program, designed specifically for people with lupus, may be "just right" for you.

Guided by a licensed A.C.E. instructor who also has lupus, this DVD offers a gentle fitness routine that you can practice in the comfort of your own home. The goal is not to become a super model but to get moving -- and to improve your well-being in the process.

Buy the exercise DVD.

LFA Releases Video Series on the Latest Lupus Research

The Lupus Foundation of America (LFA) joined more than 11,000 rheumatologists and allied health professionals at the American College of Rheumatology's (ACR) 2009 Annual Scientific Meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in mid-October. The program included more than 260 abstracts, plenary or special session presentations specifically about lupus.

Representatives of the LFA attended the meeting to report on new developments in basic, clinical, translational, and epidemiological research on lupus. More than 20 key lupus researchers and scientists sat down with LFA officials to talk about the research data they presented. Those on-camera interviews, and a summary of selected research abstracts, are now available to view.

Topics covered are:

• About the ACR Annual Scientific Meeting
• Treatments for Lupus
• Complications of Lupus
• Management of Lupus
• Causes of and Progression of Lupus
• Pregnancy and Lupus

Watch videos of the latest lupus research, which was presented at the 2009 Annual ACR Meeting.

LFA's "Medication Adherence" Webchat to be Held Monday, November 23 at 3 p.m. Eastern

Reminder -- the Lupus Foundation of America's webchat is next Monday afternoon, November 23, at 3 p.m. Eastern Time.

The LFA welcomes Dr. Sam Lim, who will serve as the guest expert for the "Medication Adherence" webchat.

This is your opportunity to ask questions and learn from an expert. Dr. Lim is Assistant Professor of Medicine at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia and Chief of Rheumatology at Grady Health Systems. He heads two large lupus clinics and is involved in several federal, state, and privately funded projects, including the CDC-funded Georgia Lupus Registry (part of the National Patient Lupus Registries). He also serves on the Medical Scientific Advisory Committee of the Lupus Foundation of America and its Georgia Chapter.

You can submit a question in advance here.

We hope you can join us Monday afternoon, November 23. To do so, you can log in to the live chat here.

As always, copies of all chat transcripts are posted online within a day or 2 of the chat. Follow this link to read LFA's previous chat transcripts.

Could I Have Lupus? Awareness Campaign is # 1 for Outdoor Donated Media Dollars in Q2 2009!

We are excited to share with you the final donated and earned media results for Q2 2009 for the Could I Have Lupus? Awareness campaign.

The campaign received $9,311,000 in total donated media support and $597,800 in earned media support (public relations) in Q2 2009.

To put these numbers into context, the average Ad Council campaign receives an estimated 7 million dollars in donated media per quarter, so this campaign is skewing above average with our total donated media dollars.

Also we are pleased to report that this campaign ranked in the top ten of 50 Ad Council campaigns in Q2 2009 in a few of the categories. Most notably was that we were number 1 for Outdoor Donated Media Dollars!

Thanks to everyone who has participated in outreach efforts to secure media placements for this campaign. Let’s keep the momentum going!

http://www.lupus.org/AdCouncil

Save the Date: LFA's Lupus Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill to be Held March 15-16, 2010

The LFA Annual Advocacy Day provides lupus advocates from across the nation the opportunity to participate in meetings with their U.S. Senators and Representatives to educate policy makers on lupus and discuss public policies that affect people with lupus.

L’Enfant Plaza Hotel, in downtown Washington DC, will be our headquarters hotel. More details will be coming soon.

Participate in the BENLYSTA Research Update Call on Monday, November 30, 2009

The Lupus Foundation of America (LFA) invites those living with lupus and interested in learning more about the results of the BENLYSTA studies to join us for a special Webinar on Monday, November 30, 2009 at 7 p.m. EST.

LFA’s Medical Director, Dr. Joan Merrill, will review the results of the BENLYSTA studies and answer questions. Questions can be submitted in advance.

Please note that space at the event is limited. The LFA will provide a summary of the discussion following the event for those who are unable to attend.

Call In Details

1. Dial the Conference Access Number: 212-401-6760 or 866-551-3680
2. Enter your Participant PIN Code followed by the # key: 7292757#
3. You will be placed on musical hold until the Event begins
4. To join the Web Conference click this link: https://www.anywhereconference.com/?Conference=130257715&PIN=7292757
5. Enter your Name
6. Click Go

Or Join the Web Conference Manually

1. To join the Web Conference log into: https://www.anywhereconference.com/
2. Enter the Web Login Reference: 130257715
3. Enter the PIN Code: 7292757
4. Enter your Name
5. Click Go