Walking for Awareness: Lamar University set to host Walk to End Lupus NOW
March 09, 2023 | by Shelbe Rodriguez
Lupus Warriors, volunteers, and supporters will gather for the Walk to End Lupus NOW at Lamar University, located at 440 S. MLK Jr. Parkway, on Saturday, March 25, at 8 a.m. Their goal: is to bring awareness to the cruel and debilitating disease that attacks the body from the inside out.
“We are pleased to partner with our friends at Lamar University to bring this walk to the Beaumont/Port Arthur community. It serves as an excellent platform to educate and increase the visibility of a devastating and sometimes life-threatening condition,” said Anne Marie Blacketer, CEO of the Lupus Foundation of America – Texas Gulf Coast Chapter. “For us to move toward a cure, it will require all of us – Lupus Warriors, friends, family members, health care professionals, and partners to rally together as a united front.”
Lupus, an unpredictable and misunderstood autoimmune disease, impacts more than 1.5 million people. Sixty percent of those with lupus are Black or Hispanic and often wait 15 years or more for a diagnosis. The disease can be difficult to diagnose, hard to live with, and a challenge to treat.
“We are so incredibly proud to partner with an organization like the Lupus Foundation of America in raising awareness not only on the Lamar University campus, but within Southeast Texas,” said Dr. Freddie Titus, interim vice president of the Division of Diversity, Inclusion and Community Relations. “This walk is to raise awareness, yes, but it also serves as a reminder to our resilient Lupus Warriors that we stand with them, we support them, and they can take heart knowing that we are in this fight with them.”
Registration for the walk is free; however, donations to support the Lupus Foundation of America – Texas Gulf Coast Chapter’s numerous programs are appreciated. All participants will receive a “Walk to End Lupus NOW” t-shirt. Onsite registration will be available beginning at 8 a.m., followed by the walk at 9 a.m. and remembrance and celebrations at 10 a.m.
Learn more about the Walk to End Lupus Now at Lamar University
About the Lupus Foundation of America – Texas Gulf Coast Chapter:
The Lupus Foundation of America –Texas Gulf Coast Chapter is part of a national force devoted to solving the cruel mystery of lupus while providing caring support to those who suffer from its brutal impact. With help and support from informed volunteers, lupus medical experts, patients, and supporters, the Lupus Foundation of America -- Texas Gulf Coast Chapter strives to support research and education programs so everyone affected by lupus can have an improved quality of life; provide information to ensure people with lupus and their families have access to answers, and health professionals are knowledgeable in diagnosing and managing the disease; and support community outreach to increase awareness of lupus and its impact, improve public support of those affected by lupus, and advocate on their behalf. To learn more, visit www.lupus.org/texasgulfcoast.
“We are pleased to partner with our friends at Lamar University to bring this walk to the Beaumont/Port Arthur community. It serves as an excellent platform to educate and increase the visibility of a devastating and sometimes life-threatening condition,” said Anne Marie Blacketer, CEO of the Lupus Foundation of America – Texas Gulf Coast Chapter. “For us to move toward a cure, it will require all of us – Lupus Warriors, friends, family members, health care professionals, and partners to rally together as a united front.”
Lupus, an unpredictable and misunderstood autoimmune disease, impacts more than 1.5 million people. Sixty percent of those with lupus are Black or Hispanic and often wait 15 years or more for a diagnosis. The disease can be difficult to diagnose, hard to live with, and a challenge to treat.
“We are so incredibly proud to partner with an organization like the Lupus Foundation of America in raising awareness not only on the Lamar University campus, but within Southeast Texas,” said Dr. Freddie Titus, interim vice president of the Division of Diversity, Inclusion and Community Relations. “This walk is to raise awareness, yes, but it also serves as a reminder to our resilient Lupus Warriors that we stand with them, we support them, and they can take heart knowing that we are in this fight with them.”
Registration for the walk is free; however, donations to support the Lupus Foundation of America – Texas Gulf Coast Chapter’s numerous programs are appreciated. All participants will receive a “Walk to End Lupus NOW” t-shirt. Onsite registration will be available beginning at 8 a.m., followed by the walk at 9 a.m. and remembrance and celebrations at 10 a.m.
Learn more about the Walk to End Lupus Now at Lamar University
About the Lupus Foundation of America – Texas Gulf Coast Chapter:
The Lupus Foundation of America –Texas Gulf Coast Chapter is part of a national force devoted to solving the cruel mystery of lupus while providing caring support to those who suffer from its brutal impact. With help and support from informed volunteers, lupus medical experts, patients, and supporters, the Lupus Foundation of America -- Texas Gulf Coast Chapter strives to support research and education programs so everyone affected by lupus can have an improved quality of life; provide information to ensure people with lupus and their families have access to answers, and health professionals are knowledgeable in diagnosing and managing the disease; and support community outreach to increase awareness of lupus and its impact, improve public support of those affected by lupus, and advocate on their behalf. To learn more, visit www.lupus.org/texasgulfcoast.