Spring 2009 Issue of Lupus Now Magazine ... Coming to A Mailbox Near You!

The first issue of Lupus Now 2009 has information in store on many important topics for people with lupus, including Vitamin D -- why you need it and how to get it; heart-healthy guidelines; and five new books recommended by the LFA education Committee that you’ll want to check out.

You’ve heard us talk a lot lately about the first-ever national Ad Council campaign designed to raise public awareness about lupus. In conjunction with the awareness campaign’s launch this spring, the first feature, “The Butterfly Effect,” examines the importance of early diagnosis and treatment, and follows three young women as their lives change forever.

We all know how difficult it can be to explain lupus to friends and family. So, the second feature, “But You Don’t Look Sick!” -- and who hasn’t heard those words one too many times? -- is about helping others understand the effects of medications, the inevitable mood swings, and the feeling of missing your former “self.” Lupus is so much more than a list of symptoms, isn’t it?

And those pretty ladies on the cover? They are muralist and children’s book writer/illustrator Adjoa Burrowes and her teenage daughter, Hyacinth and another teen, Chelsea. In the Teen Talk column they talk about growing up with a mom who has lupus. Are they worried about having lupus themselves? What about going away to college? And how did their moms ever find the words to explain lupus?

The Wellness section reveals conversations we have had with people about how they cope with anxiety, which is very bad for lupus! We also hear from women and men about how they show appreciation for that special person who is there for them every day, no matter what. And nothing is more important than that.

As always, you can check out the online version of Lupus Now magazine.

Better yet ... why not get a subscription to this award-winning magazine? To do so, simply follow this link.