health

continued from page 34

“For those of us with lupus and other
autoimmune diseases, we need to teach
our family and friends how to be sup-
portive.” — Cheryl Weiss

central nervous system may
be affected.
“Although there are effec-
tive medical treatments
available, including steroids
and the relatively new
drug, Belimumab, there is
no known cure for the dis-
ease and no known cause,”
Silverman says. “Some of the
common symptoms, such as
severe fatigue, joint pain and
unexplained fever, may be
controlled with medications.”

sometimes I’m able to stop
what I’m doing before I get
a painful headache and can
avoid a lupus flare.”
Cheryl Weiss of Oak Park
retired early from her teach-
ing career not long after being
diagnosed with lupus in 2006.
Donna Oram
“Donna Oram helped me
understand my feelings and
work through my experiences
with lupus as I gradually made
connections with the lupus
community,” Weiss says. “For
those of us with lupus and
LUPUS SUFFERERS
other autoimmune diseases,
Seventeen years ago, Helayne
we need to teach our fam-
Shaw of Walled Lake started
ily and friends how to help
Helayne Shaw
us and be supportive. Those
growing non-malignant
who care, who listen and ask
tumors and had them
questions and stay in our lives
removed from her legs and
are a gift. I found that family
one from the lower lobe of
and friends become especially
her right lung.
important because serious
“I was told they were all
chronic illness can be isolat-
suspicious but there was
ing.”
nothing conclusive,” Shaw
Ben Rathbun, executive
says. “I started working as
director of the Michigan
director of family camping
Missy Selfon
Lupus Foundation in
at Camp Tamarack 13 years
Southfield, says the founda-
ago when I was diagnosed
tion provides emotional
with lupus. For the past seven
and financial support and
years, I’ve also been teaching
serves as a resource for lupus
at Hillel [Day School] — and I
patients and their families. “A
need both jobs: one to pay for
primary objective is to raise
my medicines and the other
awareness of this devastating
to pay my mortgage.
disease so that people have a
“The good news is that
better understanding of the
I love what I’m doing. The
Cheryl Weiss
effects of lupus,” he says.
difficulty is I’m in front of
In his review of Oram’s
people all the time and lupus
book, Rathbun writes:
is invisible. Most have no idea
“I cannot recommend this
how much my joints hurt
book more highly, and I plan
and that I live with severe
on using it in our support
fatigue, especially when I
groups as curriculum and in
have a bad day. It even hurts
our conferences as reference
when someone hugs me.”
guides to a disease that has far
Missy Selfon of White
too long been under the radar.
Lake Township says, “I’m
Dr. Larry
Donna Oram has been instru-
always aching like I have the Silverman
mental in raising the aware-
flu, but a little bit worse. I
ness of a neglected, prolific,
have other conditions that
underfunded and deadly disease.” •
overlap with lupus, including fibro-
myalgia, migraine headaches and
Raynaud’s disease, which is character- To contact the Michigan Lupus Foundation,
call (800) 705-6677. To find the book When
ized by abnormally cold hands and
Lupus Throws You for a Loop, go to Amazon
feet caused by poor circulation. I’ve
and type the name “Donna Oram.”
learned to pay attention to the warn-
ing signs for these conditions, and

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June 29 • 2017

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