Speaker: Cierra Brown, AFO Associate
Cierra Brown: Hi, everyone. This is Sierra Brown A F O associate at the end in Louisville. I've been with the company since January 9th of this year and I'm super excited to be partnering with the diversity and inclusion initiative to get the word out about Lupus Awareness Month.
What is Lupus? Share your story and some facts that you may find important.
Cierra Brown: So a lot of you may not be familiar with lupus or may have never even heard of it before. Um It is an autoimmune disorder um known for its inflammatory effects on the body on the organ systems, both inward and outward. Um The main symptom that a lot of people recognize to be diagnosed with lupus is what's known as the butterfly rash. And so what that it is is it's a rash on the face that is in the shape of a butterfly. And so that is why oftentimes when people think of lupus or you see someone with lupus, they'll have butterfly anything to represent um awareness for this disease. Um So Lupus does affect about 1.5 million Americans today. 90% of those being women and African American women are the largest population that are affected by Lupus. Um One in every 250 African American women will be diagnosed with Lupus at some point in their life. I was diagnosed with this illness um as a child when I was in the fourth grade, around 10 years old, um initially just was getting sick a lot and really no explanation was hospitalized a few times and, um, was diagnosed incorrectly a few times. And finally, um, doctors in Louisville and Nashville were able to come to the conclusion that I have lupus. Um, and so at that time, we, you know, got a plan and got on medications that worked for me. And, um, I was able to go into remission for about 14 years, um, which was a huge blessing, um, from me and my family. Um However, in around 2018, um I began to get sick again after a knee surgery. Um And so after several years of complications, um you know, moving back home, actually having to go on disability and just facing a lot of challenges, even being wheelchair bound at one point. Um to be here today is a huge blessing and opportunity and I'm just very happy to be here. Um And so because of my personal walk with Lupus and the way that I have seen it affect myself and others around me, it is my mission to raise awareness year round, but particularly in May, which is known as Lupus Awareness Month. Um And so May 10th is World Lupus Day and it's also put on Purple Day. So I encourage everyone to wear purple, whether it's shoes, a shirt, pants, jacket, the whole thing if you want, I encourage you to wear purple on World Lupus Day May 10th to raise awareness and just show support. Um I know of one other team member with Dean Norton that also lives with Lupus. So we would love to see you guys show support and raise awareness this month. Um And if you do feel inclined to wear purple, I encourage you to email me a picture of yourself so I can share with my friends and family. Uh My email is C I brown at dean Dorton dot com. I'm so excited to see what everyone does for World Lupus Day and for the rest of Lupus Awareness Month. And if you have any questions or want more information, feel free to contact me directly. Thanks.
