Having trouble reading this email? Click here to view in a browser. February 17, 2017 Serving Indiana   As a caregiver, how do I handle the unpredictability of lupus? Scroll down for the answer. A Message from our CEO, Morgan McGill   Dear Friends, While there is no cure yet, lupus awareness and research is continuously moving forward. Together, we can work to create a life without lupus. This February, take time to appreciate the loved ones in your life. Valentine’s Day is a great reminder of what remains important above everything else: family, friends, partners, and co-workers. Perhaps the only thing of greater importance is to remember to also love yourself this month. February recognizes national Hearth Month. Cardiovascular health and mental health are both important to overall success in controlling flares and living a good life. We hope you listen in to the first in our “Ask the Expert” teleconference series that the Lupus Foundation of America, Indiana Chapter will bring to supporters for the first time.  February 28th is the roll-out with Eating Right for a Healthy Heart at 7:30pm-8:30pm EST.  Those interested must register first, then call-in information and materials will be sent prior to the call.  Please register here.  We are also proud to be launching the Online Support groups you have asked for at the end of the month. Please read on to find out more.  Additionally, those who register early and before May 1st for the Indianapolis Walk to End Lupus Now event on October 7 this year have a new opportunity to donate $25 and receive an Early Bird T-shirt on Walk Day – in addition to the other new 2017 incentives for tremendous fundraising efforts. Please take a look at the registration site information.  Gather your team and get started on reaching your fundraising goals!  Spring is a great time to hold bake sales, host a car wash or sell daffodils – there are all kinds of do-it-yourself ways to raise money for our mission.  Need ideas? Our office is here to help! Call or email and we will send you resources. Enjoy the brief spurts of warmer weather – the Midwestern teases of the spring ahead.  If you enjoy the Like Me section in this issue and have a story you would like us to know about – we encourage you to reach out.  Your story could be the next one that graces the March issue! Morgan E. McGill, CEO, LFA Indiana Chapter Get Your LFA, IN Chapter License Plate Now! The wait is over. The new LFA, IN license plate is here. Now’s the chance for you to help spread lupus awareness and show your lupus warrior pride! You can order your plate today for an annual $40.00 through myBMV.com, at license branches, and other customer service locations. $25.00 from each LFA, IN license plate sold will come back to our Chapter!  LIKE YOU is our newest feature section of our e-newsletter where YOUR stories can be shared with others struggling with or affected by lupus. Please share your story with us, so we may share it with others. Email your stories to lisa@lupusindiana.org. This journey begins with the story of Nancy Magana.  From being extremely active to struggling to be active at all, Nancy's not letting her lupus and heart issues hold her down. Nancy writes: "Growing up I was always a super active young woman; I played sports like basketball, soccer, tennis, and I was even a cheerleader at one point. So, when I found out that I had lupus at the age of 15 it was like a kick to the stomach; I felt like it was the beginning of a limited life but I refused to allow lupus to stop me from living my life.  Then, when I had to have heart surgery all I thought was ‘I am not going to let this stop me either.’   Continue reading Nancy's story: Things To Do! Walk to End Lupus Now! Indianapolis  Ask The Experts Conference Calls ATA Planning Committee Meeting on Tuesday, February 21, 2017, at 6:00 p.m. at Grace University, 9302 N. Meridian Street, 2nd Floor. Newcomers welcome!! Indy Walk Committee Meeting on Thursday, February 23, 2017, at 6:00 p.m. at Grace University, 9302 N. Meridian Street, 2nd Floor. Newcomers Welcome!! Vineyard Vines at Keystone Crossing - Thursday, February 23, 2017 from 5-8 p.m. Shop & Support LFA Indiana Chapter Join Vineyard Vines and take 10% off your purchase while Vineyard Vines gives 10% back to LFA, Indiana Chapter.   LFA, Indiana offers Gentle Yoga and Tai Chi classes for people with lupus and one caregiver or support person. The cost is free, but registration for your first class is required. Watch and Learn about the health benefits of Tai Chi. Sign up now. When: Yoga on the 2nd Saturday of each month. Tai Chi on the 4th Saturday.  All classes from 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.  Where: IU North Hospital, 11700 N. Meridian Street, Carmel. Learning Centers A & B. We are so excited that our Indiana Chapter is participating in this year's Walking for Dreams, on May 21, 2017.  Walking for Dreams is an approximately 5K Family and Pet Walk that was started in 2004 to help local Indianapolis non-profit organizations raise needed funds to enable them to do more of what they do so well – serve the youth and families of Indianapolis. For the second year in a row, Walking for Dreams expands to the Evansville area for the 2017 walk! Walking for Dreams pulls together local organizations to share in a joint fundraiser. Walkers of all ages will join together to support their special organization by raising pledges and participating. Thanks to the generous sponsorship of local corporations, all checks turned in by the walkers should be made out to your chosen non-profit and will be given directly to the selected organizations and are 100% tax deductible. Learn More! Our sixth annual A Tasteful Affair fundraiser will be held on June 23, 2017. On a Friday, summer night, from 6:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. at the Ritz Charles on N. Meridian Street. This year's event will include tastings from local restaurants and breweries (must be 21 to come), as well as our awesome silent and live auctions, and music to dance to from The Bishops! You're not going to want to miss this. * We are still looking for auction items valued at least $100, as well as 90 points or better wine for the wine pull for A Tasteful Affair. If you or your company can help, please contact Lisa@lupusindiana.org. Thank you!           What an exciting year for the Walk to End Lupus Now,Indianapolis!! Teams are already forming and fundraising dollars are already coming in! Don't wait; get registered now and give yourself plenty of time to organize your team and raise much needed funds for our Chapter. NEW in 2017 - register online by May 1st and choose to immediately  donate $25 and you will receive an EARLY BIRD Tshirt on Walk day! The Early Bird Tshirt will have the exact design of this year's Club 100 shirt but will be gray and will not have the Club 100 designation on the sleeve. This shirt will be in addition to the other shirts also available - remember, all shirts are individually earned!  Register for the 2017 Indianapolis Walk here   Ask the Experts is a series of live educational teleconferences and pre-recorded webcasts on a variety of topics designed to provide you with important information about living with lupus. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from some of the world’s leading lupus experts from the comfort and privacy of your home. These live tele-conferences last one hour and are accessible via a toll-free number. Teleconferences will also be recorded and posted online. Pre-registration is required. Call-in/log-in information will be provided to all registrants one week before the event. The February 28th topic is Eating Smart for a Healthy Heart. Please join us via telephone and help us spread the word to others with lupus. Learn more or register here. First LFA IN Online Support Group Friday, February 24th  New Support Groups Added in Evansville, Indy West & Indy South Our constituents asked for an online support group and we are deliv-ering! No need to leave home! Get comfortable and share experiences, methods of coping and insights into living with lupus!  The online support group meetings will be held the last Friday of each month from 6:30-7:30 pm. The first meeting will be held on February 24th. To comply with national LFA requirements, a New Member Registration Form (NMRF) must be on file and returned to facilitators prior to participating in your first meeting. So climb into a comfy spot with your laptop the fourth Friday of each month, and surround yourself with people who care and understand what you're going through. Support is only a click away. To register or learn more click here   Allspice-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Cinnamon-Sautéed Apples and Cilantro Rice Here is a Simple Cooking with Heart pork dinner with some amazing sides that sound and taste so good, you won't believe that they're good for you too! Print the recipe or watch the video here. We’re very excited to announce three new support groups in Evansville, Indianapolis South and Indianapolis West,starting in February. The Indianapolis South support group meeting will also include a separate meeting for youth/teens who are impacted by lupus.  Please note: Anderson support group now meets on the 4th Thursday of the month from 5:30-7and the Bloomington support group now meets on the 2nd Tuesday of the month from 7-8. The philosophy of LFA support groups is to provide a warm and caring environment where people with lupus, their family members, caregivers, and loved ones can share their experiences, methods of coping, and insights into living with lupus.  LFA support groups encourage and accept people as they are and provide a comfortable learning environment to help them develop the best coping strategies to reduce stress that often accompanies living with a chronic illness.  Several of our support groups have new facilitators who have joined the team of LFA professionally-trained volunteers who lead our support group meetings to offer support to lupus patients, friends, and family members. Click here to Meet our facilitators.   Dates and times vary by location. For more information, please visit our website. Northwest Indiana Event Planning Underway In an effort to plan an event to replace the Crown Point Walk, a small group of interested committee members will "meet" 2nd Monday of each month via conference call 6:30 EST, 5:30 CST. Newcomers welcome! Please call 605-475-4000 # 441085 to join conference call(s).   Click the button below to become a Champion for Hope with your monthly gift of $10, $15, $25 or more to the Lupus Foundation of America, Indiana Chapter and make a difference in the lives of those affected by lupus. Your support will help bring us one step closer to our vision of a life free from lupus. Answer: Due to the unpredictable nature of lupus, you may need to adjust your responsibilities and priorities at times. Neither you nor your loved one with lupus should feel guilty about these disruptions to activities that you cannot control, but it is important to find strategies to cope. In order to prepare for unpredictability it is important to build a contingency plan in addition to communication, smart planning and strong disease management skills.  Learn more. You are receiving this email because you are subscribed to the Lupus Foundation of America, Indiana Chapter's newsletter. If you would like to unsubscribe or change your preferences, please click here.