My name is Chelsea Nichols and this will be my 8th year participating in St. Louis' Walk to End Lupus! This last year we did not have the opportunity to have an inperson walk due to COVID. There was on option for people to host their own virtual walk, we thought it would be best to keep to ourselves as well. We hope to participate this year; however, that is dependent on the the rise of COVID. That being said, let's get into it!

What is Lupus? ('-')
I'm sure many of you are wondering what Lupus really is and how does it make life so difficult? As stated before Lupus is an autoimmune disease which means that a person's immune system attacks their healthy cells by mistake. This often leads to an attack on tissues and organs. Also, the inflammation caused by lupus can affect a person's joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, brain, heart, and lungs. There is not currently a cure for Lupus. That being said, there are very few medications that really work and the ones that do have side effects that can cause the person to take even more medication. Lupus is often a hard disease to diagnose as it has many different symptoms that make it look like other diseases.

My Lupus Story
To me Lupus is a terrible disease that has really affected my family. Many years ago, my mom was diagnosed with this disease making it difficult for her to even do activities that she loves. During the end of my senior year in high school many of my joints began to hurt and ache. I went to get blood work done and found that I had a positive ANA (Antinuclear Antibody test) which is a test that looks for autoimmune diseases by detecting antinuclear antibodies in your blood. Though I have not been diagnosed with Lupus I still have difficulties completing tasks that should be easy for most people. A couple of years later my sister was diagnosed with the disease after going to the doctor for some symptoms that are often linked with it.

Call to Action!
Lupus is a terrifying disease that greatly affects our lives. With the help and support of family and friends our fight has become a little easier.
I would like to thank all the people who have supported us thus far! Together, we can solve the cruel mystery of Lupus. Join our team and support our efforts by spreading the word about Lupus.