Chris Wilcox: Scoring Points for Lupus Awareness

Boston Celtics player Chris Wilcox

Chris Wilcox, a forward for the Boston Celtics, is well-known on the basketball court. After being drafted by the National Basketball Association in 2002, he has played for several teams, including the Los Angeles Clippers and the Detroit Pistons. But for years now, Wilcox has also been working on another important goal behind the scenes: raising awareness and funds for lupus research.

Chris’s commitment to this cause began because of a family history of lupus. Two of his aunts died of the autoimmune disease, but the worst blow came when his sister, Tehesia, was diagnosed with lupus at the age of 17, while still a high school senior. Two of his cousins also have the disease.

Tehesia was prompted to get tested for lupus after she started to suffer from aching joints and skin rashes. After her diagnosis, her doctors determined that she also had kidney involvement.

“Lupus had already claimed my aunts’ lives, but nothing had prepared me for the sadness of seeing my sister suffer from this mysterious disease,” Wilcox says. “That, for me, underscored the need to raise lupus awareness and to someday find a cure.”

Tehesia, who says she consistently battles severe musculoskeletal pain and fatigue, says living with the disease is a daily battle for her—but it is one she manages to take in stride because of her family’s support.
“My brother has been my rock since the day I learned I had lupus,” says Tehesia Wilcox. “Even when Chris was just 10 years old, he was always there for me, asking if I was okay and if I needed anything. Now he uses his celebrity to bring attention to this disease. I am so proud of him, both for the tremendous work he does on the court and for those of us who live with lupus.”

Chris Wilcox is involved in several lupus education and fundraising efforts. Each year he organizes the Power Forward to Cure Lupus Golf Outing, an annual charity event that raises funds for lupus research. Last year, he and his wife, Tiffany, offered their support to walkers in Boston at the city’s inaugural Walk for Lupus Now™ organized by the Lupus Foundation of America. The walk, the largest of its kind, has been now renamed Walk to End Lupus Now™. The Wilcox’s supported Lexi’s Lupus Warriors, a team of 50 walkers assembled by Lexi Buswell that raised $13,000 toward lupus. Buswell, 11, was diagnosed with lupus in 2011.

Wilcox, who grew up in Whiteville, North Carolina, is also a supporter of the Lupus Foundation of America’s education program, the Help Us Solve the Cruel Mystery™ National Tour, which stopped in the Raleigh area over this past weekend.

In addition to his work with lupus, Wilcox – who says he never misses a chance to make a positive impact on his community—is working to spread awareness about heart disease. During a routine heart screening last year, team doctors discovered that Wilcox had an enlarged aorta. He underwent a complex surgery called the Modified Davids Reimplantation Procedure in March of 2012 and thankfully has made a full recovery. Since his surgery, Wilcox has teamed up with the American Heart Association to raise awareness about the importance of heart screenings and overall heart health.

“It’s important to keep pushing for change in the right direction,” Wilcox says. “Great things happen when you keep working and getting yourself better.”

Rep. Jim Moran: An Advocate for People with Lupus on Capitol Hill

Congressman Jim Moran of Virginia has served 12 terms in Congress and has many legislative successes to his credit. He is a senior member of the Appropriations Committee and has been a champion of the environment, women’s issues, and veterans, among other causes. In recent years, he has also been one of the strongest advocates for people with lupus on Capitol Hill.

Last year, the Lupus Foundation of America helped create the first Congressional Lupus Caucus. Rep. Moran serves as one of the caucus co-chairs along with Rep. Tom Rooney of Florida, Rep. William Keating of Massachusetts, and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida. The Caucus has been working with the Foundation to ensure that all members of Congress understand the impact of lupus on individuals and their families, and actively support the advancement of lupus research and increased awareness of lupus among the public and health professionals.

“There is little awareness of lupus and its impact on an estimated 1.5 million Americans,” says Rep. Moran. “This disease, disproportionately affecting women, needs greater attention. Our goal will be to increase understanding of this chronic disease and examine ways to support researchers’ efforts to identify, treat and to hopefully one day find a cure.”

Rep. Moran’s connection to lupus is also a personal one: his daughter, Mary, has lupus. Both Rep. Moran and his daughter have been a welcome presence at Foundation events, including walks and the annual gala. Rep. Moran received the Lupus Foundation of America’s Distinguished Leadership Award during the 2010 Advocacy Day Luncheon in recognition of his support for people with lupus, and he has been honored at the Foundation’s 2009 and 2012 galas in Washington, D.C.

“Rep. Moran’s support is crucial as we move forward with our work to educate all Americans about lupus and bring more federal funds to lupus research,” said Kimberly Cantor, Senior Director for Public Policy and Government Affairs at the Lupus Foundation of America. “He has been one of the best friends to people with lupus on Capitol Hill, and we are encouraged by his efforts to spotlight this cruel mystery to the public and other members of Congress.”

Rep. Moran serves as the Ranking Member on the Subcommittee on the Interior and Environment and also serves on the Defense and Legislative Branch Subcommittees. He serves as co-chair of the Congressional Prevention Coalition, the Congressional Crohn’s and Colitis Caucus, the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus and heads the Task Force on Sovereign Wealth Funds, which was established to study issues surrounding sovereign wealth funds and their potential to affect geopolitics and the U.S. and international economies.

In the mid-1990's, he co-founded the New Democratic Coalition, a group of approximately 50 House Democrats committed to fiscal responsibility, free and fair trade, technology, and maintaining America's security and economic competitiveness.