My personal battle

Many of you know about my personal "battle" with lupus. I was diagnosed nine years ago at the age of 20. While it has been a battle, I have experienced more blessings and miracles than hardships. I have survived and found that my faith is continually restored, humility gained, and lessons learned about how resilient our bodies truly are. Nothing but miracles and the power of God can explain my being.

If you don't know what lupus is, please take some time to read at the bottom of this post. It gives some generic details about what millions of people battle through every day. I know I didn't know ANYTHING about it before I was diagnosed.

If you are in the Las Vegas area and you would like to participate, please join in this walk to cure lupus! If you're not in town, maybe you could donate $1...everything counts! I've included a formatted letter that will guide you to several webpages about information and registering.

Anyone can do it...last year I got pushed around in a wheelchair. (Editors note: the reason I got pushed in a wheelchair was because of my most recent flare up at the time. I had vasculitis this time and I lost circulation in my feet resulting in amputating 1/2 of one of my toes). Go me! I've included some pictures from last years event!


One of former students Megan, and her family came to support me!


My team; made of up patients and nurses from Dr. Yung's office. She is my rheumatologist and is FANTABULOUS! How many doctors do you know that give their time to participate in these activities?!?!


My two angels! Tanya was my roommate during my last flare-up. She has the gift of healing and a caring, nurturing soul. I couldn't ask for a better friend. She took care of me like a champ. And my Stevie of course! He too has the gift of healing and has the ability to take all my pain away. He truly has blessed and enriched my life by easing my burdens whether they be physical, emotional or mental! I tell him all the time he is "THE MAN" because no one could handle it like he does. I love you honey!




Dear Friends and Family,

I recently registered for the 2009 Las Vegas Alliance for Lupus Research (ALR) Walk with Us to Cure Lupus Walkathon, which will be held on Saturday, November 7th at Wayne Bunker Park. 100% of all contributions to this event will go to support lupus research programs, because ALR's Board of Directors pays for all administrative and fundraising costs.


Your support will help me reach my own fundraising goal, and is essential to the success of ALR's mission: to prevent, treat, and cure lupus through medical research. More information on the Alliance for Lupus Research can be found at http://www.lupusresearch.org/.

It is faster and easier than ever to give your support! Visit my Personal Webpage to donate with a credit card online. Immediately after making your gift, you will receive an email with tax receipt information.

You can also mail your contribution by check. Make all checks payable to the Alliance for Lupus Research, and include my ID Number in the check's memo line:

NVL-70127

It is best for you to mail checks to me directly so I can collect them and turn them in on my ALR Walk day. You can also mail checks directly to the Alliance for Lupus Research at: Walk with Us to Cure Lupus, 28 West 44th Street, Suite 501, New York, NY 10036.

Whatever you can give will help; it all adds up! Also, feel free to forward this message to anyone you think might want to support me as I Walk to Cure Lupus. I appreciate your support and will keep you updated on my progress.

Sincerely,

Kjerstin West

Visit my Personal Webpage now!

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Facts About Lupus


Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE, or lupus) is a chronic autoimmune disease in which a person's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue.

Lupus can cause life-threatening damage to major organs, such as the kidneys, lungs, heart and central nervous system.

Lupus affects people of all ages, including children, but it most often strikes between the ages of 15 and 45.

Nine out of 10 people with lupus are woman.

Lupus is three times more common among African-American woman than among Caucasian women, and is also more common among woman of Hispanic, Asian and Pacific Islander descent.

Lupus is the leading cause of death among woman with autoimmune diseases.

An estimated 1.4 million Americans suffer from lupus, making lupus more common than leukemia, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis and cystic fibrosis.

The exact cause of lupus is unknown.

No new treatments of lupus have entered the market in decades, and current treatments, such as steroids and chemotheraphy drugs, often cause debilitating side effects.

Lupus has no cure.