Will you walk with us?

Beverly, a Walker from California, shares her lupus story and why she joins the Lupus Foundation of America and Walk for Lupus Now® below. Sign up for a Walk in your community at www.WalkforLupusNow.org.

Beverly from California

I was diagnosed with lupus while serving in the United States Air Force. I was a flight test engineer flying as a back seater in F-16s and T-38s. After a long, hot summer in the desert I noticed a rash across the bridge of my nose and cheeks, some raised bumps on my fingers, increasing joint pain, and severe fatigue after each flight. I was immediately instructed to have the flight surgeon look at me. After a gamut of blood work and tests they confirmed it was definitely lupus, and that it had already gone to some of my major organs.

I was terrified. The only other person I'd ever heard of having lupus was my cousin, who died from complications of this disease less than a year after her symptoms showed up.

However, I'm thrilled to say, 5 years later, I'm doing very well. I was blessed with an amazing rheumatologist and support system. I believe lupus can be a very isolating disease. It's hard to explain to someone who does not have it, what it's like on those really bad days. My countertop looks like a small pharmacy. The list of drugs I have to take just to feel *okay* is overwhelming.

I have participated in WALK FOR LUPUS NOW® for four years. One of the amazing things about the walk is that it reminds you that you are not alone. There is a whole community of people who understand how you feel and what you’re going through.

We need more resources. We need more research. We NEED a CURE.

So I walk. I walk for research. I walk for support. I walk for my daughters. I walk in my memory of my cousin. I walk for the hope of some day finding a cure, so that I may once again, be LUPUS FREE.

Please join me and sign up today for a WALK FOR LUPUS NOW® event in your community. Together, we CAN FIGHT this terrible and life-altering disease.