Happy Birthday, Erica!

I had a lot to say today 😉 , which is a lot to read. You can choose to listen instead!

Happy Birthday, Erica!

Yes, today is the day that my little sister, Erica Johnson, would have celebrated her 26th birthday. My family and I miss her dearly, but days like today certainly help us as we honor her memory and promote lupus awareness across the world.

I wanted to take the time to thank each of you for your support and generosity over the years. Some of you were with me in the beginning as our Colorado State Rambition group was brainstorming community awareness events in the CSU Football position rooms, others may have been introduced to our organization and our cause more recently. No matter when you joined our E.R.I.C.A. family, know you are truly appreciated. We can’t wait to see what our future holds with amazing supporters like you!

Please take the time to check out our new website, EricaFund.org ! You will find information regarding upcoming events, lupus awareness facts, patient testimonials within the lupus community, and ways to donate to the cause.

We know many of you are reading this email in the aftershock of Cinco de Mayo, but don’t forget May serves as Lupus Awareness Month! We are currently gearing up for our 5th Annual E.R.I.C.A. Lupus Awareness Walk this weekend, Saturday, May 9th, at 10:00 AM (MST); just a day before internationally dedicated World Lupus Day (shared with Mother’s Day, May 10, 2020). Due to COVID-19 precautions, we will be practicing distant socializing at this year’s walk (yes, distant socializing). For those of you who are able to participate in Fort Collins, please visit our “Upcoming Events” page on our website by clicking here for more details regarding the location and instructions for the walk.

For all our E.R.I.C.A. supporters who will not be able to walk the designated route in Fort Collins this year, we encourage you to take a walk in your local neighborhoods and share your videos and pictures via email with us at [email protected] . We would love to feature you on our website and show the world we are still connected even during these unprecedented times. In addition to sharing your walk experiences with us, please also review the lupus awareness facts listed below in addition to the ones on our website and choose to share them with others in your community.

Our mission is to spread awareness, hope and support. We want anyone affected by this baffling disease to know they are not alone. By you committing to spread lupus awareness you are supporting our mission and making a huge difference. Those of you looking to go over and beyond with monetary contributions to the E.R.I.C.A. Lupus Patient Assistance Fund through the UCHealth Northern Colorado Foundation, please visit the “Giving” page of our website for more information by clicking here!

We wish we could physically be with you promoting lupus awareness this year, but we hope that you all are remaining safe and healthy wherever you are. Take this time to appreciate the little things and don’t waste time stressing over the uncontrollable things. Know we are praying and rooting for you to overcome it all!

May you all have a blessed and amazing Lupus Awareness Month! We will be checking in with you again soon.

Warmly,

Ashley Reid

E.R.I.C.A. Founder a.k.a. Erica’s Sissy 

Enhancing Research, Improvising Constant Awareness

Lupus Facts to Share with Your Community:

1.      Today we walk in memory of Erica D. Johnsonwhile spreading lupus awareness.

2.      Lupus Awareness Month is observed in May and aims to increase awareness amongst the general public- not just medical professionals – of what this disease can do and why it’s so key to know the facts.

3.      May 10th, 2020 is dedicated to World Lupus Day! Wear purple or butterflies to promote lupus awareness. Share the facts with people in your community. Be an advocate!

4.      Over 1.5 million Americans have lupus. 90% of those with lupus are women. Women of color are two to three times more likely to develop lupus than Caucasian women.

5.      Lupus strikes mostly women of childbearing age (15-44). However, men, children, and teenagers develop lupus, too.

6.      Lupus is a chronic, autoimmune disease that can damage any part of the body (skin, joints, and/or organs). In lupus, something goes wrong with your immune system, which is the part of the body that fights off viruses, bacteria, and germs.

7.      Autoimmune means your immune system can’t tell the difference between these foreign invaders and your body’s healthy tissues (“auto” means “self”) and creates autoantibodies that attack and destroy healthy tissue.

8.      Lupus is not contagious. Genetic and environmental factors such as certain drugs, infections, stress, diet, etc. may trigger the disease in those predisposed to lupus. Lupus is not like or related to HIV (Human Immune Deficiency Virus) or AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome).

9.      The purple butterfly symbolizes the face rash usually associated as a symptom of lupus. There are four types of lupus, the most common form Systematic lupus erythematosus (SLE), Cutaneous lupus erythematosus, Drug-induced lupus erythematosus and Neonatal lupus.

10.   There is currently no cure for any form of lupus. Various therapies and medications like anti-inflammatory drugs, anti-malarials, steroids, and cytotoxic chemotherapies are commonly used to treat the multiple symptoms of lupus.

11.   It is common for lupus symptoms to come and go. Symptoms can disappear for a period of time called remission. Symptoms can also appear suddenly called a flare.

12.   Symptoms of lupus include but aren’t limited to: red rash on the face(butterfly rash), painful or swollen joints, low blood count, protein in urine, chest pain associated with breathing, sensitivity to the sun, depression, trouble thinking, memory problems, sores in the mouth or nose, extreme fatigue, unusual hair loss, pale or purple fingertips and/or toes from the cold or stress, etc.

13.   Lupus is difficult to diagnose because its symptoms come and go, mimic those of other diseases, and there is no single laboratory test that can definitively identify the illness. Lupus is usually treated by a rheumatologist.

14.   Lupus is a serious life-altering and fatal disease that requires in-depth understanding and support for the affected persons.

15.   Thank you for your support! Visit EricaFund.org for more lupus awareness and donation information.