Get your purple on!!

Tomorrow is World Lupus Day..

To show your support please wear purple!!

This is a cause very close to my heart.

I never knew what Lupus was until I learned that I had the disease.

I was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) in February 2008. After months of being in debilitating pain..I finally knew what was wrong, and that I was not imagining things.

Lupus not only affects the sufferer but it also impacts their family, friends, and peers.

SLE is an autoimmune disease, which means the body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue.

I am one of the lucky ones, and after hardcore treatment and lifestyle changes I have been in remission since December 2009.

I feel blessed to once again feel "normal."  I was so sick, I thought there was no way I would ever get better.

Tomorrow lupus organizations and their supporters around the globe, call for increases in public and private funding for medical research on lupus, targeted education programs for health professionals, patients and the public, and worldwide recognition of lupus as a significant public health issue.

 Lupus is hard to diagnose correctly and there is still not nearly enough knowledge about the disease, even among health professionals.

So, please...put your purple on!!

Thank you!!!

Carrie