Lupus is a systemic autoimmune disease that occurs when your body's immune system attacks your own tissues and organs. Inflammation caused by lupus can affect many different body systems — including your joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, brain, heart and lungs. Lupus is a terrible, ugly, annoying, life changing disease.
While I don't have it myself, I have been drastically impacted by it, through my wife, Nicole, who has been battling Lupus for the last five years. Her older brother has been fighting it since he was a kid. It effects each of them differently, but there are similarities. There are mornings where they struggle to get out of bed due to joint pain. They both tire far more easily than they should at their age. Once they run out of energy in a day, there is no napping or resting to get it back. They are done until tomorrow. Every day activities that should be simple are made much more complex by the little things that could set off their symptoms, such as getting too much sun, having a glass of wine with dinner, or pushing themselves a little too hard at the gym. Any of these could cause someone with Lupus to wake up in severe pain for the next several days. On Saturday, April 28th, 2018, I am running my first marathon. I am running for them. I am running for everyone else that has to deal with this awful disease. I am running in the hope that someday no one will have to deal with it ever again. Please donate and help me reach my goal!