On The Lupie Side Of The Street

Yesterday I blogged about how it was World Lupus Day. On my Twitter, I was wishing people Happy World Lupus Day! I was reading other people's tweets (messages for non tweeters), and some people didn't say Happy World Lupus Day. They would simply state that it was World Lupus Day and why it mattered to them. For me, World Lupus Day was a happy occasion, it was a day for me to be thankful for the fact that we have a day devoted to Lupus.

Lupus has a day! Now it seems like everyone and everything has a day, but we still have a day! One day out of the year where we can tweet, Facebook, MySpace, blog, call, text, email, and spread the word like the amazing people we are, that it is World Lupus Day. It's our one day where we can stand on our soap boxes and maybe someone will listen to us? We have a day, we actually have an entire month devoted to Lupus. So in reality, we could stand on our little boxes for the entire month of May, spreading the word about Lupus. Personally, I think we should try and spread the word about lupus every day.

I'm happy for World Lupus Day because it raises awareness for what lupus really is! Awareness is a big, big deal. What if there was a medical student who wasn't sure what they wanted their specialty to be. By now they already know what lupus is, but for a medical student, it's probably just another disease. Let's say this medical student came across a tweet or a blog describing World Lupus Day? What if this disease captivated the student's heart and mind? Maybe, just maybe this student would become a rheumatologist? Or maybe they would devote some of their time for researching lupus? Think of the impact! That one student could one day become the doctor who helps find a cure for lupus. Now many of you are probably thinking I'm dreaming big, honestly, I am. But where would the world be without dreams?

I'm glad we have World Lupus Day because on that day, people realize the severity of this disease. More than five million people in this world have lupus. Five million people live with a disease that is absolutely devastating to the tissues and organs in their body. Five million people live with the thought that lupus could kill them. Five million people live with a disease where there has not been a new medication for it in over fifty years.

Right now five million people are in some sort of pain physically, emotionally, or mentally because it seems as if lupus is a disease that doesn't deserve help. It feels as if most people don't understand how bad lupus can get. Lupus can debilitate you, just like other diseases can. And Lupus can kill you, just like diseases can. Sometimes, it doesn't feel like a fair fight because there are so many different options for treating various diseases, like cancer. Yet, there seems like there aren't enough options for treating lupus.

Sadly, as I type this, one person has probably lost hope, like the millions before us, that they may never have a life without lupus. One person may not seem like a huge number, but one person can cause waves in the water. I'm only one person, but I would like to think that my blog touches many people. And those people will go on to help other people. All it takes is one person to make change. One crazy "this may just work" thought, one spark of imagination, one dream that you can share with others. One person, with one dream, with one last breath of hope could one day change the lives of people who have lupus, forever.

I pray that I will never lose hope, I hope I will never lose faith in myself and others. And I hope and pray that one day, people won't have to live with this disease.