EAST
RUTHERFORD, N.J., May 1, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Nearly 1,500 supporters will help tackle lupus
this Saturday, May 4, for the Lupus
Research Alliance (LRA) 2024 New
Jersey Walk with Us to Cure Lupus at MetLife Stadium.
Together, the passionate group of people with lupus and their
friends and family expect to raise nearly $500,000 for lupus research as well as public
awareness of the serious and commonly misdiagnosed autoimmune
disease affecting millions worldwide.
The program kicks off Lupus Awareness Month with a welcome by
LRA President and CEO Albert T. Roy
and inspiring messages from Julie
Keenan, Vice President, Corporate Brand Equity, Global
Corporate Affairs of Johnson & Johnson; Jill Wedeen, Assistant Director, Food &
Nutrition of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital; Jesse Linder, Vice President, Community
Relations, New York Jets; and Bishop Rudy
Carlton, LRA Board member and Pastor at Jehovah-Jireh Praise
and Worship Church.
The day is filled with family fun including Jets Fest inflatable
rides, magicians, characters, face painting, and photo booths. A
yearly crowd-pleaser – several current Jets players meet with fans
on the field. Chairman of the New York Jets, Robert Wood Johnson, is Founding Chairman of the
LRA and Honorary Chair of the New Jersey Walk.
The LRA has invested more than $245
million in funding research that is delivering discoveries
that can improve treatment while driving for a cure for lupus.
Building on work funded by the LRA, more than a dozen therapies for
lupus are currently in testing as potential treatments for this
devastating autoimmune disease. The organization's clinical
research affiliate, Lupus Therapeutics, is a significant partner in
many current clinical trials and, ensuring that diversity of people
living with lupus are fairly represented and the patient
perspective is reflected in the clinical research process.
"Never before has the outlook for lupus treatment been more
hopeful with dozens of clinical trials underway for this complex
and chronic autoimmune disease," said Roy. "We need more safe and
effective treatments because lupus differs from person to person.
The future is particularly promising with engineered cell therapies
being studied in lupus."
In addition to the New York Jets, the LRA also greatly
appreciates the support of all its sponsors, including Johnson
& Johnson, RWJBarnabas Health, Atlantic Health, Bristol Myers
Squibb, and PNC Bank. Special thanks go to all who showed up
at the stadium and online with donations to the Lupus Research
Alliance on behalf of people with lupus waiting for new treatments
and a cure. Because the LRA's Board of Directors covers all
administrative and fundraising costs, 100 percent of donations goes
directly to lupus research programs.
Participation in LRA's Walk program is free. Beginning with
registration at 9:00 AM, the Walk
takes place at MetLife Stadium, at 1 MetLife Stadium Drive in
East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Walk with Us to Cure Lupus is a major fundraising event, and
everyone is encouraged to raise donations to support lupus
research. Visit www.lupusresearch.org or Email
jgolombos@lupusresearch.org for more information
about the event.
Joining the Walk with Us to Cure Lupus program is just
one way to contribute to the lupus cause. During May, Lupus
Awareness Month, LRA invites the lupus community to get involved to
make a difference. The ManyOne Can campaign reflects the tremendous
value every person in the lupus community brings to the fight to
improve treatment while driving to a cure -- because while no one
individual can do it alone, together ManyOne Can! The ways
people with lupus, friends and family can help are also many by
fundraising, advocating for increased federal research
dollars, raising disease awareness, and taking part in the clinical
research process. If you like to donate to the New
Jersey Walk, please click here.
About Lupus
Lupus is a chronic, complex
autoimmune disease that affects millions of people worldwide. More
than 90 percent of people with lupus are women; lupus often
striking during the childbearing years of 15-45. African Americans,
Latinx, Asians, and Native Americans are at two to three times
greater risk than Caucasians for developing lupus. In lupus, the
immune system, meant to defend against infections, produces
antibodies that mistakenly recognize the body's own cells as
foreign, prompting other immune cells to attack and potentially
damage organs such as the kidneys, brain, heart, lungs, blood,
skin, and joints.
About the Lupus Research Alliance
The Lupus Research Alliance is the largest
non-governmental, non-profit funder of lupus research worldwide.
The organization aims to transform treatment by funding the most
innovative lupus research, fostering diverse scientific talent, and
driving discovery toward better diagnostics, improved treatments
and ultimately a cure for lupus. Because the Lupus Research
Alliance's Board of Directors funds all administrative and
fundraising costs, 100 percent of all donations goes to support
lupus research programs. For more information, please visit
the LRA at LupusResearch.org and on social media at:
X, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
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SOURCE Lupus Research Alliance