Meet Julie

When Julie was 14, she was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus. She has gone through 20 years of intense flares, such as hair loss, arthritis, body pain, cuts and sores on my face, neck, hands, and body, which was not only painful but also emotionally hard. Last year she discovered her kidneys were affected and she went through five months of trial and error with natural remedies, then lengthy hospital stays, intense edema (physical swelling) gaining over 70 pounds of water weight, multiple blood transfusions, six rounds of Chemo, skyrocketing blood pressure sending her into the ICU on several occasions, and oh so much more. She is now on Dialysis (nightly) and will continue to be until she gets a new kidney, or if her kidneys heal.  

Julie found the Lupus Foundation of Northern California in the midst of a flare; seeking community and support, as she didn't really have anyone to truly understand what she was going through. She started with the Buddy Program a few years back, but ended up having to take a break as she started to go through personal health struggles. Julie shared that "Coming back to the Buddy Program was one of the best decisions I made; I contacted my new buddy and we felt an immediate bond. I'm continuing to see how important it is to have community and to have someone to text and ask for support or to celebrate victories with."

We at the Lupus Foundation of Northern California are proud to help Julie and patients like her find support in their community.

With your support we can continue to offer programs like the Buddy Program Julie talks about; or to grow the number of patients supported by adding new Support Groups - we added three new groups this year; and to create new programs that serve the needs of the lupus community across California, like our new Wellness Program in which Julie will be a practitioner. 

Make a difference in the life of a lupus patient with your donation today.