I'M WALKING TO END LUPUS. JOIN ME? 

I AM A SURVIVOR!!!! I have been THRIVING and SURVIVING  lupus for 15-years now. This cruel and mysterious disease causes inflammation in many of us resulting high doses steroid use. Throughout my early part of my lupus journey, I was doing 1000mg pulse steroids via IV three days in a row three separate times during ONE hospitalization resulting in a 50-pound weight gain in less than a month. I was fortunate enough to work with my rheumatologist to get off daily steroids in February of 2014. But steroids is the gift that keeps giving. In November of 2021, I was diagnosed with avascular necrosis, it’s the death of bone tissue due to a lack of blood supply and if continues it can cause the bone to collapse. I have this in both hips and distal portions of my femurs. This summer instead of getting out of the heat I had a total hip replacement…..thanks to lupus and steroids. I’m due to have the other hip replaced in the future.

There currently isn't a cure to this disease....this is my life.

Don't get me wrong it has been a journey and a love-hate relationship. From an ICU visit due to a possible stroke/blood clot to a pre-cancerous scare due to chemotherapy drugs, multiple hospitalizations to being medically retired from the Army after 19-years of service to periods of deep depression. This cruel disease has tried to take over my body on numerous occasions. It was touch and go for a period where I almost died. Thanks to my faith, phenomenal doctors, and extreme treatments I am alive and A SURVIVOR! 

Imagine a day when doctors can say, "There is a cure for lupus." Until that day there is work to be done. That's why I'm taking action in the fight against lupus. Join me as I participate in Lupus Foundation of America's Walk to End Lupus Now(tm) in Arizona on Saturday, October 14, 2023, to raise critical funds for the estimated 1.5 million people living with lupus in the United States. 

Will you join my team "Toni's Transformational Butterflies" to help me reach my personal fundraising goal of $16,000. Or you can make a donation to support me and the Foundation's efforts to improve the quality of life for all people affected by lupus? A generous contribution of $25, which is a workweek's worth of Starbucks can make a definite impact. What's more, if your employer offers a Matching Gift Program to employees, you may be able to double your contribution with just a little bit of paperwork. Trust me, it's worth the effort! Every single dollar counts. 

Did you know? 

* Lupus is a mysterious and misunderstood autoimmune disease. It strikes without warning, affects each person differently, and has no known causes or cure.

* Lupus symptoms can be severe and highly unpredictable and can damage any organ or tissue, from the skin or joints to the heart or kidneys.

* While lupus can strike anyone at any time, 90% of people living with lupus are women. Women of color are at especially high risk.

* Lupus is hard to diagnose, but the Lupus Foundation of America is working to make life easier and more comfortable for the estimated 1.5 million people living with lupus in the United States.  

Together, we can solve the cruel mystery of lupus. 

Thank you for your generosity! 
Toni Grimes