Orangeburg SC First Lupus Walk!

Lupus Columbia (SC) Orangeburg Division on Saturday sponsored its first Lupus Walk in the city, attracting more than 200 participants. Some of the walkers are shown here. The organization plans to make it an annual event. May is National Lupus Awareness Month.  ~ as wrriten By JORDONE BRANCH, T&D Correspondent

More than 200 people came out to support the first Lupus Walk in Orangeburg on Saturday. The walk was sponsored by Lupus Columbia (SC) Orangeburg Division, which plans to make the walk an annual event.

“Since May is National Lupus Month, we thought that it would be a great time to bring lupus awareness to this community,” said Adrienne Brown, assistant director of the organization. “Not many people in Orangeburg talk about this disease, but with the number of people here that suffer from lupus, people need to know how this disease is affecting our community.”

According to the Lupus Foundation of America, 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. Normally, our immune system produces proteins called antibodies that protect the body from these invaders,” according to the LFA. “Autoimmune means your immune system cannot tell the difference between these foreign invaders and your body’s healthy tissues and creates autoantibodies that attack and destroy healthy tissue. These autoantibodies cause inflammation, pain and damage in various parts of the body.

“Lupus is also a disease of flares (the symptoms worsen and you feel ill) and remissions (the symptoms improve and you feel better).”

Brown said lupus primarily affects young African-American women in their child-bearing years.

“They may go through the symptoms, but don’t actually know that they have the disease. If we can spread more awareness about the symptoms, people can know when they may have lupus in time enough to receive treatment and prevent death,” she said.

Pamela Baxter-Sweeper, director of Lupus Columbia (SC) Orangeburg Division, said many people don’t know what lupus is.

“You can flare up in extreme temperatures, and it’s very painful,” she said of the symptoms. “You may never even know how or when it will attack you. I didn’t even know that I had the disease until I was 45. It’s always better to find out the status of your health early. If you are having difficulties or pain, you need to go get checked out. It may not be just your bones aching; it may be lupus.”

Brown noted, “We want to inspire those who have been recently diagnosed. We truly believe that support is a form of healing.”  …Read More on The TandD.com