LAA LIQ
Bellmore, NY – May is Lupus Awareness month, and the Lupus Alliance of America LIQ Affiliate, the only lupus agency on Long Island, is hoping to spread that awareness through planned events, educational seminars, and a brand new website with more information and links on lupus than ever before.
Lupus is an autoimmune disease that affects over 2 million Americans, and is more common than MS, Muscular Dystrophy, and Cystic Fibrosis combined. Simply put, lupus causes the body to attack itself, causing inflammation and wreaking havoc on the brain, kidneys, skin, lungs, blood and heart, and there is no cure. Living with lupus can entail constant visits to doctors, frequent hospitalizations including those for chemotherapy treatment for severe lupus organ involvement, and a medication regimen that can include multiple pills daily, some with side effects almost as bad as the symptoms they are trying to suppress. Some of the medications taken for lupus are off label, which means they were designed for other conditions, and therefore sometimes denied by insurance companies, even though the medication can save a lupus patients life. There has not been a new medication designed and approved for lupus in over 50 years.
For Lupus Awareness Month the Lupus Alliance of America LIQ Affiliate, a non-profit agency dedicated to helping those living with lupus since 1955, is offering the public their free Lupus Self-Screening test; a 10 question bookmark that can help you identify if you could have lupus. To receive this free test you can call the Alliance at 1-800-850-9000 or email them at: info@lupusliqueens.org. The Lupus Alliance of LIQ has also just launched their new website, which contains the latest up to date information on symptoms, diagnostic tools, choosing a doctor, medications, lab tests and more. The new site also includes information on the Alliance`s Education Days, held at their Bellmore office, where newly diagnosed patients, as well as those who have been living with lupus for years, can come and learn about the latest in research, coping skills and more. The next Education Day is on June 5th, and registration is required by calling the office, or applying online at www.lupusliqueens.org. The fee is $15pp for non-members and $10pp for members, and includes breakfast, lunch and all educational materials.
The Alliance is also celebrating Lupus Awareness month with a new Suffolk County Walk-Along for Lupus, which will be held on Sunday, May 2nd, 2010 at Cathedral Pines County Park. Registration begins at 9:00am and the walk begins at 10:30am. A minimum $15 donation is required, all walkers will receive a Walk-Along T-Shirt while supplies last, and can enjoy breakfast, and music by the Roadhouse band as they walk.
To learn more about lupus, request information, attend an event or educational seminar, please call the office at 516-783-3370 or 1-800-850-9000 or email them at: info@lupusliqueens.org.
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/
