Sudbury resident and longtime lupus survivor Nicole Lamirande is hosting a Lupus Walk on behalf of Lupus Sudbury on Sept. 28 at the Wahnapitae Community Centre, to support the efforts of Lupus Ontario.
The event will begin with pre-registration and networking at 3 p.m., followed by a homemade spaghetti dinner at 5 p.m. and lastly, a two-kilometre walk around the perimeter of the community centre. The evening will include a penny table and door prize, painted by Lamirande's brother, who lives in Prince George, B.C.
Beyond fundraising, Lamirande said the event is a valuable opportunity to raise awareness about the disease and give survivors an opportunity to connect with one another.
"Everybody is a warrior and everybody is battling their own fights, but nobody should be fighting alone," she said.
Lupus is a systemic autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system attacks its own tissues and organs. The resulting inflammation can affect many parts of the body -- joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, brain, heart and lungs.
"Lupus is the disease with a thousand faces,” said Lamirande. “When you wake up in the morning, it's like playing Russian roulette. You spin the wheel and whatever it lands on, it's going to affect."
The cause of lupus is unknown, but it is known to be triggered by infections, certain prescription drugs and even sunlight, while others are born with the still incurable condition. In Lamirande's case, the disease appears to be linked to her genealogy, since it's a condition she shares with her grandmother, aunt and cousins.
Lamirande began experiencing lupus symptoms when she was 10, which resulted in her having her gallbladder taken out, a pacemaker installed, and a barage of other health concerns before her 21st birthday.
"Medical professionals didn't know what was going on with me,” she said.
Despite regular trips to the emergency room and long-winded conversations with her family health team, Lamirande did not learn about autoimmune diseases until she was 22 – and she wasn't formally diagnosed for another nine years.
This is quite common among lupus patients, said Lamirande, due in part to the fact the disease most often presents itself in middle aged women and young children – demographics she says are not taken seriously by medical professionals, which leads to prolonged periods of misdiagnosis.
Shortly after receiving her diagnosis, Lamirande joined Sudbury Lupus, formally the Linda Ethier Chapter of Lupus, which was organized by Linda Ethier and Elaine Lahti Gareau at the time. Lamirande said she found great support through the group, and inspiration through it's fundraising efforts, which is part of what motivated her to host an event of her own.
Through the event, Lamirande said she hopes to encourage people living with lupus to find support from one another, learn from each other's experiences, and work together towards a solution.
"I don't want to see any child, man or woman go through the pains that we go through."
The Sudbury Lupus Walk dinner is available at $10 a plate, while participation in the walk is free. Register for the event by emailing [email protected].
