This Sunday, 10th May is World Lupus Day. The day focusses on the need for increased public awareness and understanding of lupus, increased research into the causes and the need to look for a cure for lupus, and improved diagnosis times and treatment of lupus within the medical profession.
Lupus UK describe the disease as “an incurable immune system illness, probably genetic in origin and mainly suffered by females. It’s more common in black and Asian women than white women.”
Nana Akua, shared her story of battling lupus, with Pride Magazine. Nana is now a campaigner for Lupus awareness and improved treatment, as well as being a fun fitness guru ‘Lady Xsize’.
“It started with weak wrists, pins and needles, hair loss, extreme fatigue and weight loss. I only really noticed I was getting thinner when I was in Marks’, the size 8 was way too big! Even the 6 in the petite range didn’t fit! My ex and daughter’s father, never the tactful or sensitive type, had pointed out my fingers were puffy and in his words “looked like sausages”. He was right, they did.
When my hawk-eyed GP looked me over, he told me “It might not be something you can cure, but something you can manage.” The alarm bells gently sounded. It turns out I have a form of lupus, an autoimmune disease, where my immune system attacks healthy tissue. In my case it is my connective tissue that it attacks. Not so bad accept the connective tissue is the very matrix that keeps the body together!
That’s when I created LadyXsize – an Afro clad fundraising fitness fanatic and set up my charity concept ‘Mission to a Million’. I work with LUPUS UK presenting videos on their website and was the face of their awareness campaign in October.
In September 2014, a report was published in Natures Communications which showed Professor David Wraith and his team at Bristol University, had found a way to reverse the action of the autoimmune antibody – to make it a force for good in the body. So I gave him a call and he is supporting my mission. Diseases like Type 1 Diabetes, MS, Lupus and many other that fall into this category will soon be eradicated. Imagine the impact this will have on sufferers across the globe. A groundbreaking discovery!!
The first clinical trails have already begun and ways of putting this knowledge into effective treatment are now underway. Funding could speed up this process and provide relief to the millions of people living with autoimmune diseases. In addition, this treatment could put an end to debilitating allergies such as nut and gluten.”
Visit www.lupusuk.org.uk to find out more about the condition and to see how you can help raise money and raise awareness.
