Alliance for Lupus Research | Sparkle for a Cause

$5030.10 raised of $5000 goal as of July 1, 2016.

100% of the sales of this Sparkle for a Cause PenGem will be donated to the Alliance for Lupus Research.The PenGem features an dark purple enameled barrel topped with violet and white diamond rhinestones.

Lupus is one of many disorders of the immune system known as autoimmune diseases. In autoimmune diseases, the immune system turns against parts of the body it is designed to protect. This leads to inflammation and damage to various body tissues. Lupus can affect many parts of the body, including the joints, skin, kidneys, heart, lungs, blood vessels, and brain. Although people with the disease may have many different symptoms, some of the most common ones include extreme fatigue, painful or swollen joints (arthritis), unexplained fever, skin rashes, and kidney problems.

At present, there is no cure for lupus. However, lupus can be effectively treated with drugs, and most people with the disease can lead active, healthy lives. Lupus is characterized by periods of illness, called flares, and periods of wellness, or remission. Understanding how to prevent flares and how to treat them when they do occur helps people with lupus maintain better health. Intense research is underway, and scientists funded by the NIH are continuing to make great strides in understanding the disease, which may ultimately lead to a cure.

The Alliance for Lupus Research (ALR) is a national voluntary health organization based in New York City that was founded in 1999 and is chaired by Robert Wood Johnson IV, a member of the founding family of Johnson & Johnson. By committing millions of dollars to significant lupus research every year and holding nationwide lupus walks to secure additional funding, the ALR is proactively battling lupus. To learn more, please visit www.lupusresearch.org.