Walk for Lupus Now 2013 - Tampa, FL

"I was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE or Lupus) in 2010 and continue to manage the damage on a daily basis. Lupus is a chronic, autoimmune disease that can damage any part of the body (skin, joints, and/or organs inside the body). In Lupus, something goes wrong with your immune system, which is the part of the body that fights off viruses, bacteria, and germs ("foreign invaders," like the flu). Normally our immune system produces proteins called antibodies that protect the body from these invaders. Autoimmune means your immune system cannot tell the difference between these foreign invaders and your body’s healthy tissues ("auto" means "self") and creates autoantibodies that attack and destroy healthy tissue. These autoantibodies cause inflammation, pain, and damage in various parts of the body. I call this my internal civil war. Walk to End Lupus Now™ is a non-competitive event that raises funds to support the programs and services of the Lupus Foundation of America (LFA). The event was on Sunday, May 5, 2013 at the Lowry Park Zoo, Tampa, Florida. This event to raise funds and awareness has become very important to me as I have directly benefited from those who have participated in the years before I got involved or was even diagnosed with Lupus. I am compelled to do as much as I can to "give back". It has taken over 50 years for a new Lupus treatment to be developed and approved by the FDA (BENLYSTA). BENLYSTA is a biologic therapy, delivered through an intravenous (IV) infusion, and acts to reduce certain cells in your immune system that can make Lupus active. Due to increase in my Lupus activity earlier this year, my rheumatologist has prescribed BENLYSTA infusions for me. This is not a cure, but hopefully a more focused medication for managing the damage. Funds from these walk events are used for research in the development of better treatments like BENLYSTA and hopefully solving the “cruel mystery” that is Lupus. My team, The Wolf Repellent Crew (the term Lupus, Latin for wolf, is attributed to a thirteenth century physician who used it to describe erosive facial lesions that were reminiscent of a wolf's bite – Discoid Lupus) participated in the 2013 Walk to End Lupus Now™ (our third walk!) to raise funds for the Lupus Foundation of America (LFA). CustomInk has a very user friendly website and I easily downloaded my own images. Our T-shirts had a custom wolf image on the front and our team name on the back. The customer service was top notch through the process. T-shirts were exactly what I wanted and were delivered when promised. Will definitely use CustomInk again!" - http:// http://lupus.donorpages.com/tampa2013/TheWolfRepellentCrew/ - The Wolf Repellent Crew 2013 (May 08, 2013)