The 5th Annual Walk for Lupus in Clifford will take place on May 10.
Registration starts at 10:30am and the walk gets underway at 11 with a free barbecue to follow. New this year is a bake table.
Organizers will again be holding a silent auction with lots of prizes donated by local businesses and individuals. All proceeds go to Lupus Ontario.
Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by inflammation on one or more parts of the body. It is estimated lupus affects one in 2,000 people, and there are thousands of people in Ontario alone who suffer from lupus.
Anyone can get lupus – women, men and children, usually between the ages of 15 and 45.
Eight times more women get lupus than men. The cause of lupus is unknown.
“What is known is that the immune system in someone who has lupus, is unable to tell the difference between intruders and the body’s own tissues and attacks and destroys our normal tissues and good cells,” explained Clifford resident Connie Murray, who has been battling the condition for about seven years.
“This results in inflammation in the joints, and other parts of our body and causes the symptoms of lupus to appear.”
Symptoms include swelling, joint pain, a red rash across the upper cheeks and bridge of nose, extreme fatigue, unusual reaction to sunlight, a red scaly skin rash, small ulcers inside of mouth or nose, chest pain which is worse when lying down or inhaling, fluid retention, hair loss, seizures or severe neurological symptoms.
Anyone with symptoms is advised to contact their family doctor and request a blood test which can show the indicators of lupus, walk organizers note.
For more information contact Murray at smokeyswife@wightman.ca or by phone at 519-327-8384.
