This walk is very personal to us. We lost our daughter Jenifer to lupus at the age of 29. Jenifer started getting sick at a young age and the doctors did not diagnose Jenifer with Lupus until 2019. 

It was very hard on Jenifer to constantly get sick and not understand why. At 19 she had a miscarriage, at 23 she had 5 blood clots, at 25 she had mitral valve replacement. She was constantly in hospital for pneumonia. She would receive steroids and antibiotics and she would always get better until it all struck again. In 2018 she started getting sick more frequently. We lost count how many times she was in the hospital in 2018 and 2019. She always fought hard with everything she had. 

In April of 2019 Jenifer was finally diagnosed with Lupus. Her last stay in the hospital started on October 13, 2019 and that stay lasted 58 days. She was on a ventilator the entire time she was in the hospital. Lupus was attacking her lungs, kidneys, brain and blood. While in the hospital she had 4 strokes, received countless blood transfusions and several sessions of plasmapheresis. Jenifer lost the fight with Lupus on the morning of December 10, 2019. Jenifer never had the opportunity to fight Lupus sooner because it took too long to diagnose. 

We have joined the Central Florida Lupus Foundation walk to help raise awareness of Lupus and give others fighting this terrible disease a chance and so we can raise awareness to others that do not understand it.

I am joining thousands of people across the country for the Walk to End Lupus Now®. I hope that you will join me either by lacing up your sneakers or by donating to my fundraising page.

You can make a difference by donating to help me reach my personal fundraising goal and support the Foundation's efforts to improve the quality of life for all people affected by lupus! A generous contribution of $25 or $55 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!