Visit the Lupus Foundation of America's Lupus Channel on YouTube, and Watch the Latest PSAs and Research Videos

Morning everyone.

Wanted to share a great resource with you. The Lupus Foundation of America (LFA) has its own lupus channel over on YouTube.com.

I encourage everyone to head over there and check out some of the LFA's public service announcements (PSAs), as well as our videos of lupus experts talking about the latest in science and research.

Let me share one with you.

Below is a recently made video called "Biomarkers for Heart Disease in African American Women with Lupus." In it, Dr. James C. Oates, Associate Professor of Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina, discusses his LFA-supported research study on Biomarkers of Reactive Nitrogen and Oxygen Stress as Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease in African Americans with Lupus.

Cardiovascular disease has become one of the leading causes of disability and mortality among people with lupus. The LFA is leading efforts to address study this serious complication of lupus and find ways to treat or prevent CVD in people with lupus.



And one of the great things about YouTube is ... if you are moved or inspired by a particular video, you can embed the HTML code on your own blog, or website. The more people who see these videos and understand the seriousness of lupus, the more the public's level of awareness is raised, which will translate into more funding for lupus-related research.

So feel free to bookmark the LFA's channel in YouTube, or better yet, subscribe to that page. I'll be featuring other videos in the coming weeks.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend.

Until next time, Wick

Let's Get Educated: The Lupus Foundation of America

Hey everyone ...

I'm writing another entry today as I will be out of the office tomorrow. I'm heading to New Jersey this evening to spend some time with family. Looking forward to that as I haven't seen them since Thanksgiving.

And now to lupus news.

Our April 9, 2008 Webchat will feature Dr. Bevra Hahn. The topic will be "Ask the Doc: An Open Forum." What does that mean exactly? It means you can ask Dr. Hahn anything about lupus, as long as it's not patient-specific. Read more about the chat, and Dr Hahn, here.

We are redesigning the look & feel of our enewsletters. Our hope is to have them debut in April. We're pretty excited about this. As always, you can sign up to receive the free LFA enewsletters here.

And finally, I wanted to share still another LFA public service announcement (PSA) with you. Like the Sarah Chalke ("Scrubs") one, this one is also brand-new and features Donald Faison, who plays Dr. Christopher Turk on TV's "Scrubs." You may be wondering what his connection to lupus is. Randall Winston, a producer for "Scrubs," has a sister with lupus.

This new PSA is called Let's Get Educated: The Lupus Foundation of America. Take a look.



If interested, you are more than welcome to embed this PSA on your blog.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Until next time, Wick

Lupus Foundation of America's New Public Service Announcement -- Lupus: A Challenging Ailment

Good morning everyone.

Hope you've had a great week. It's been a busy one here. Very much looking forward to getting some r&r this weekend.

Saw the 1982 version of The Thing (starring Kurt Russell). Was pretty good. It's worth checking out. And I made the mistake of looking for original movie posters on eBay. Naturally, I found several I want. I may run out of wall space in my home soon.

And now to lupus news.

Wednesday's Webchat on kidneys & lupus went well. The transcript from the chat has already been posted to the site. You can read the transcript here.

We're working on the next LFA research enewsletter. If it doesn't go out this afternoon, it will go out in the early part of next week. As a reminder, you can always sign up to receive the free LFA enewsletters here.

And finally, I wanted to share another LFA public service announcement (PSA) with you. This one is brand-new and features Sarah Chalke, who plays Dr. Elliott Reid on TV's Scrubs. You may be wondering what her connection to lupus is. Randall Winston, a producer for Scrubs, has a sister with lupus.

This new PSA is called Lupus: A Challenging Ailment. Take a look.



If interested, you are more than welcome to embed this PSA on your blog.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Until next time, Wick

There's More To Lupus Than You Know: A Public Service Announcement Brought To You By The Lupus Foundation of America

Good morning everyone ... it's another cold day here in the nation's capital. Going to the low 40s today, which is warmer than it has been. I have been freezing the last few days so I'm dressed "in my snuggies" as my aunt would say. Perhaps a few hot chocolates would help take the chill out.

Quick reminder ... this afternoon, Wed., January 23 at 3 p.m. Eastern is the Lupus Foundation of America's Webchat with Dr. Peter Chira. Again, the topic is Teens & Lupus. We hope you can join us then.

Coming Attraction: Our Webchat on February 13: Women's Heart Health with Dr. Amy H. Kao.

And finally, I wanted to share another public service announcement (PSA) with you. This one is called There's More to Lupus Than You Know. It's a 30-second clip. Take a look.



If anyone reading this is interested in posting this PSA, or any of the LFA's PSAs, on your blog, please feel free to do so.

I wish everyone a great -- and warm -- Wednesday.

Until next time, Wick

Someone You Know Has Lupus

Good morning. Hope everyone had a good weekend. Weather here in DC is warming up some -- in the mid 60s. It's nice, but unusual. We'll enjoy it while we can.

Saw another movie over the weekend, 1974's Murder on the Orient Express. This is also one of my favorite Agatha Christie books (right behind "And Then There Were None"). The movie had an all-star cast -- Sean Connery, John Gielgud, Vanessa Redgrave, Ingrid Bergman. I thought the movie was just ok. What ruined it for me was Albert Finney's portrayal of Hercule Poirot, one of the greatest detectives in all of fiction. In this movie, Poirot came across as a cousin of Peter Sellers' Inspector Clouseau. Kinda disappointing.

And now, to lupus news.

Quick reminder ... tomorrow, Wed., January 9 at 3 p.m. Eastern is the Lupus Foundation of America's Webchat with Dr. Tammy Utset. Again, the topic is New Year's Resolutions & Lupus. Specifically, the focus of the chat will be on the best ways to stay healthy -- and exercise -- when you have lupus. We hope you can join us.

Wanted to share another public service announcement with you. This one is a bit older, and is a 30-second clip. It's called Someone You Know Has Lupus.

Take a look.

Until next time, Wick

Lupus: Time To Do Something About It

Good morning everyone:

Hope you had a good weekend. Mine was nice. I finished all my shopping, as I prepare to head to Orlando for the holidays. Caught up on some movies. Finally saw 1965's A Patch of Blue (Sidney Poitier and Shelley Winters). It was outstanding! And I saw 1963's The Haunting (Julie Harris). Don't bother with that one.

Let's now turn from movies in the theater, to public service announcements (PSAs).

I received a lot of good feedback on the PSA I posted a few entries below. So I wanted to share another one with you. This one is a few years older, and is called Lupus: Time To Do Something About It. And it's narrated by Tomiko Fraser Hines, Maybelline model and national spokesperson for the Lupus Foundation of America. Lupus is personal for Tomiko, as her sister Shneequa was diagnosed with lupus several years ago.

Take a look.

Until next time, Wick

This is Lupus: A Public Service Announcement created by the Lupus Foundation of America

Good morning everyone ...

Wanted to share with you a video that was created for and shown at the Lupus Foundation of America's 4th Annual Awards Gala, held in Washington DC last May.

It's pretty powerful.

Until next time, Wick