Yard sales have long been a Victoria Day weekend tradition in this area, and this year two local families decided to capitalize on the trend to raise funds for lupus awareness and research.
Connie Murray of Clifford has been fighting the condition for six years, while Moorefield area resident Laura Donaldson-Brohman was diagnosed with lupus two years ago. The women have been working together to combat lupus since they first met each other through Facebook.
A yard sale to raise funds for Lupus Ontario was in full swing at Murray’s residence on the weekend. Just one week earlier, they had raised $3,083 through a Walk for Lupus in Clifford.
Lupus is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system becomes hyperactive and attacks normal, healthy tissue. This results in symptoms such as inflammation, swelling and damage to joints, skin, kidneys, blood, the heart and lungs.
“It basically eats up at the good stuff inside your body,” says Donaldson-Brohman.
“There’s no cure, just a lot of medications,” Murray added.
Donaldson-Brohman explained the disease “just snowballs,” adding she has had to have chemotherapy on her liver since contracting lupus.
Both women state the medical community has made little headway against lupus, despite years of research.
“They’ve come up with one new pill in the last 50 years,” Murray noted.
Murray and Donaldson-Brohman hope their fundraising efforts will eventually pay off with more research and new treatments, not only for themselves, but for everyone affected by lupus.
Anyone interested in more information or making a donation to Lupus Ontario may contact Murray at 519-327-8384 or e-mail smokeyswife@wightman.ca.
