KANSAS CITY — Concerned that it has been more than fifty years since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a new treatment for the disease lupus, and that many of the drugs currently used to treat lupus can have debilitating side effects or cause other health problems that are worse than the disease itself, supporters of the Lupus Foundation of America (LFA) are taking it to the streets … and sidewalks, too. Hundreds of people living with lupus, their families, friends and others who care about them will participate on Saturday, October 3rd at Shawnee Mission Park in the 9th Annual Walk for Lupus Nowâ to raise money for medical research, education programs and support services provided by the LFA.

The walk will officially step out promptly at 10:00 a.m. Registration starts at 9:00 a.m. along with pre-walk activities. The courses are approximately one mile and three miles with plenty of refreshments and entertainment provided to participants.

For information or to register, go online at www.lupus.org/walk or call 877-910-9779.

The goal for the Kansas City Walk for Lupus Now is $50,000. “While we are aware these are difficult economic times, lupus knows no difference and people affected by this chronic and disabling disease continue to need our help. Researchers also are depending on us to keep building momentum toward finding a cure for lupus, which affects an estimated one in 200 Americans,” said Terry Sanders, National Walk Director for the Lupus Foundation of America. There are 10,000 people affected in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area.

People often walk "in honor" of a friend or family member who has lupus or "in memory" of someone who lost his/her battle with lupus. They are joined by hundreds of caring people who walk as individuals or as part of a team to raise funds to bring an end to this life-diminishing and life-threatening disease.

About Lupus
An estimated 1.5 million Americans have a form of lupus. Lupus is an acute and chronic (lifelong) autoimmune disease in which the immune system is unbalanced, causing inflammation and tissue damage to virtually every organ system in the body. Its health consequences may include heart attacks, strokes, seizures, or organ failure. More than 90 percent of the people with lupus are women. Lupus is two to three times more common among African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, Native Americans, and Asians -- a disparity that remains unexplained.

About the Lupus Foundation of America
The LFA is the foremost national nonprofit voluntary health organization dedicated to finding the causes of and cure for lupus, and providing support, services, and hope to all