My Wish: No More Families Torn Apart by Lupus
By Heather Butterfield
My mother Dorothy is my Lupus Hero.
She was diagnosed with lupus when I was only three years old. Her case was so severe that doctors thought she only had a few weeks to live. Fortunately, they were able to bring her back from the brink. Their efforts gave my sisters and me ten more years with her.
We are so grateful that she had the opportunity to see us grow up. Those ten years were hard though. I remember in the kitchen she kept three blue cups on three shelves. Each cup had 1/3 of the pills she had to take each day. So. Many. Pills. And dialysis. And bloodwork. And hospital stays. She fought so hard to stay alive. But she lost. I was just thirteen years old when she died.
So I keep fighting for those who live with lupus. Every year my family and friends come together and fundraise for the Lupus Foundation of America for the Walk to End Lupus Now Los Angeles Walk. We fundraise in my mom’s memory and in support of the many brave people still fighting this terrible disease. We don’t want to see another family torn apart by lupus.
My mother isn’t the only person I know touched by lupus. I met my best friend because his mother has lupus. Sadly, my best friend was also recently diagnosed with discoid lupus. I’ve also been amazed by how many people who support me in the Walk have confided in me that they too have lupus.
Lupus is such a terrible disease, and not enough people know about its devastating impact on families like mine. We need more funding for treatments and cures. Working with the Lupus Foundation of America, I know that I’m raising awareness of lupus so that people can get diagnosed more quickly. I also know that they are supporting research that will hopefully lead to safer and more effective treatments.
Join me in the fight against lupus and make a donation to the Lupus Foundation of America’s year-end campaign. You can be a Lupus Hero and help those living with this brutal disease.