This May for Lupus Awareness Month, Eduardo Xol from ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition has joined the Lupus Foundation of America to ask individuals to Band Together for Lupus® and commit to doing one thing to raise awareness of lupus. It's estimated that 80 percent of the public know little or nothing about lupus. Public awareness of lupus is critical to improving early diagnosis and getting people treated earlier before permanent damage occurs.

Xol is featured on an ecard that invites the public to band together for lupus and help raise awareness. Individuals are directed to the LFA website where they will find a list of several simple and easy ways to help raise awareness of lupus, including wearing the LFA purple wristband, sending an educational ecard to 10 friends, signing a petition pledging their commitment to participate in supporting Lupus Awareness Month, or signing up for an LFA Walk for Lupus Now® event.

Eduardo Xol's sister was diagnosed with lupus seven years ago. "I have seen my sister's struggles and challenges living with this disease, so I am honored to lend my support and do what I can to help raise awareness and encourage others to help make a difference," said Xol.

Research has shown that more than half of the people with lupus visited three or more doctors and suffered four or more years before being diagnosed. To help individuals recognize the symptoms and risk factors of lupus, the LFA has developed a tool (http://www.lupus.org/body), which demonstrates how lupus impacts the body, along with a symptom checklist that can be printed and shared with an individual's doctor.

Lupus Awareness Month also marks a year of progress and signals a new era for a disease that for too long has been under-recognized, under-funded, and under-researched. During the last year lupus has achieved several milestones including: the launch of the first-ever Ad Council advertising campaign on lupus sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office on Women's Health; expanded federal funding for lupus; and two positive clinical trials for the first potential new treatment for lupus in more than 51 years.

"Increasing public awareness and understanding of lupus is a key priority for the Foundation. This can lead to expanded support for lupus research and earlier diagnosis for individuals with the disease," said Sandra C. Raymond, Lupus Foundation of America President and CEO. "And while the recent progress we have see in lupus is encouraging and makes us hopeful, we know there is a lot more work to be done, which is why we are asking you to band together with us to help raise awareness of this life-threatening disease."

To learn more about how to support Lupus Awareness Month, visit http://www.lupus.org/lupusmonth.

Source
Lupus Foundation of America