Lupus Walk 2007

It was rainy and windy out yesterday, but there were a more than 250 of us up to the challenge! From what the announcers were saying, this was the first time the Alliance for Lupus Research has ever been to Seattle. More than 30 walking teams signed up for monetary sponsors and on the day of we walked 5K (or 3.1 miles) down beautiful Alki Beach.

We had more than 30 walkers on our team, led by team leader and head uniform designer, Honex Escarez. Team DHO was in full effect! My brother, DEREK, even received a gift certificate to Salty’s on Alki (www.saltys.com) because our team won “Best Uniform”.

Here are a few images:

The folks from Star 101.5 fm were there to pump us up with the music! There were also complimentary refreshments and 10-minute massages for the hard core walkers…

CLICK HERE to check out the slideshow of the images I took (Or click here: http://www.asencilimaging.com/lupuswalk).

Lupus is a terrible disease that has hit home to my family and me. But yesterday, we were able to raise money and walk for the research and cure of it.

According to http://www.lupusresearch.org not a lot of folks know about Lupus epidemic, but more than 1 million people in the United States alone have it, 9 out of 10 of them being women and being Asian or African. According to the website, there are multiple forms of Lupus, but all of them are autoimmune (or over-active immune) deficiencies effecting, the lungs, heart, kidneys, skin and brain, pretty much making those with Lupus feel miserable and out of commission from their everyday lives for long periods of time. In essence, the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks and breaks down the tissues and organs, disabling them to function normally. Though most of the time, it’s controlled and bearable, there are the burdening times when inflammation flares up, leading to (among other symptoms) fever, skin rash and extreme fatigue.

Check out http://www.lupusresearch.org/ for more info on Lupus and how to help find a cure.