I know a lot of you aren't exactly big Backstreet Boys fans, but hear me out -this isn't really about them.

After his sister Caroline passed away from the disease, Howie's family started the Dorough Lupus Foundation, a not-for-profit organization with the purpose of allocating money to organizations and individuals dedicated to the research, treatment and public education of the disease Lupus.


Four years ago my sister was diagnosed with Lupus. She's tired all the time, her joints hurt, her sense of taste is skewed, and she's over-sensitive to the sun, developing rashes with even the most minimal exposure. She has to wear layers of clothing on even the hottest days and wears SPF 70 sunscreen. She's been on every kind of medication you could think of to deal with her symptoms, and has gone through different holistic treatments as well. Some work, some don't, and those that do work last only for a while. She's been unable to get a job because she would have to take too many sick days.

She's 18 now, and doing fairly okay all things considered. But hopefully one day a cure will be found and she'll be able to live without all the extra precautions and care.

Please take a look around the site, and donate if you wish to.

http://www.doroughlupusfoundation.org

all too familiar with Lupus

my cousin had lupus...and it totally took a toll on him...
he never made it to highschool...

and if i had the money i would deffinetly donate....
he was a great kid...my little brother...
[Edited 9/18/05 15:25pm]

SammiJ said:

Sorry to hear that.

I don't have any money to donate either right now, but when I was at the BSB concert on the 4th, I bought a t-shirt (of which, all the proceeds of this particular shirt are to be split between the Boys seperate charities) and Pollyanna Dorough's CD -all of the money from which goes toward the DLF.

It's not much, but it was something. I'll give more when I find work.

meow85 said:

Is this the same sister who got hit by a car a few months back? Lupus sounds like an awful disease, one that I hope they can find a cure for.

I like your new avatar too; the Flinstones has always been a favorite cartoon of mine.

psychodelicide said:

Yep, that's her. All the bad shit in the family seems to get thrown at her. Lupus, allergies, asthma, ADD, chronic clumsiness (how many times can a person fall down the stairs? Let's ask Katie) and car accidents. It's almost funny.

Lupus does suck. It's stressful enough living with someone with Lupus, I can't imagine actually having it. Which is why I'm glad Howie and his family have taken their loss and tried to make some good from it.


Thanks. Mine too.

A good friend of mine has Lupus...through eating organic foods and becoming a vegetarian and taking her medications/vitamins she has gotten to the point that she's in remission! I am SO happy for her...
It's a nasty, nasty disease...and I for all those affected by it...

meow85 said:

I have a mixed collegen disease which started out being diagnosed as Lupus when I was really young,over the years the symptoms have changed to Rheumatoid Arthritis affecting most of my joints. I've been told this isn't unusual for people who get sick very young with Lupus. The researchers are very close to being able to put the majority of patients in remission and a cure may be on the horizon. Unfortunately, the side effects can be severe,even fatal so each person has to weigh the pro's and cons for themselves. I take a Methotrexate and Humira regimen that has literally given my life back to me, worth the risk in my opinion.
The best thing anyone can do for a Lupus patient is to believe them when they tell you how they feel. You can't always see how sick the person is,sometimes they look extremely healthy and people think they're malingering.Just believe what they say and ask how you can help...they will love you for it.

Oh yeah, and please donate!!!! The money IS being used very wisely.

shellyevon said:

It's weird how healthy they can seem, eh? Sometimes even I forget that she's sleeping for hours and hours some days not because she's lazy, but because she's sick. It sounds horrible, but even after she's had it for four years now, with few visible symptoms it's easy to forget.

And if you can't donate, at least look around the site and spread the word. Thank you.