This Saturday, May 20 is known as “Put on Purple Day” for lupus awareness.
This is a special day for local communities to bring greater attention to lupus; individuals are encouraged to wear purple, and communities are encouraged to light buildings, monuments, and fountains purple to raise awareness and rally public support to fight lupus.
Lupus is an unpredictable and debilitating autoimmune disease that is extremely difficult to diagnose. It takes a person an average of six years from the onset of symptoms to be diagnosed with lupus. Increasing early diagnosis is critical to prevent life-threatening consequences.
Over 1 million Americans suffer from lupus. The Mid-South Chapter of the Lupus Foundation of America encourages Tennesseans to know lupus so that we can have a world with no lupus.
Current Lupus Research
The Lupus Foundation of America national research program: Bringing Down the Barriers™ was created in 1977 and was the first private national lupus research program. They assembled the best minds in lupus research and began funding groundbreaking studies. These studies laid the foundation for many research advances. Data generated by their early research investments provided pathways toward identifying people at highest risk for lupus and stopping the disease before it starts.
Today, our national research program continues to tackle the biggest challenges in lupus research. Top lupus experts from many medical specialties help us identify the most pressing scientific challenges. We then aggressively pursue a research agenda to find the answers to the most important questions in lupus. We use a unique multi-disciplinary approach: lead scientific initiatives, fund lupus researchers, and advocate for expanded public and private investment in research on lupus.
The Foundation’s direct grant programs, combined with their advocacy efforts, have led to a total investment of $80 million for lupus research and education.
For additional information, visit www.lupusmidsouth.org.
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