Disease of the Month, part 2

I suppose I should say, Disease of a Few Months as I have decided to donate a portion of the proceeds from the sale of each book to the Lupus Foundation of America until May; Lupus Awareness month.

As of June, I will be choosing a new charitable organization to spotlight and receive my donation. I would love to hear from some of you to nominate an organization that is special to YOU, my readers. Sure, I can just stick to my own personal illnesses and have enough illness-related charities for a year-sjogren's, RSD, Hashimotos and more!

More than 2 million suffer with Lupus but it is never spoken about. You don't see a celebrity spokesperson all over the tv, don't hear a psa on the radio, don't hear about it at all. It is no wonder that most people think it is just the disease where "you can't go out into the sun".

I made a promise to myself over 10 years ago that I would make a difference in the Lupus community and have been working ever since to raise awareness of the disease, and raise money to support research for a cure. Without your help I am afraid that we may never see that day. People need to be made aware that Lupus kills! It is not just skin rashes or feeling tired. Twitter about it, write about it in your blogs and help me to bring Lupus to the forefront!
Mama, Won't You Play With Me?
ISBN 9781449014247

Disease of the Month: Lupus Part 1

Let's talk Lupus. It seems that noone ever does.

It's not the "in" disease of the moment although millions of people suffer with it. It is one of the hardest of the auto-immune disorders to diagnose as it tends to mimic other diseases such as MS or Rheumatoid Arthritis. For those of us who suffer with it, we know that it is a sneaky and cruel disease all its own.



I had symptoms for over 10 years before I was diagnosed. Sometimes I just didn't feel "right" but couldn't pin point how I felt different. At times it felt like my body was getting away from me; like it had a mind of its own and that I was losing total control over it.



Of course every doctor had a different opinion of what was going on, and I heard some pretty entertaining theories. Because I was a woman with a complaint, I was told I must be depressed. I was told that maybe I wasn't getting enough from my husband in the bedroom or otherwise.



I am sure that it will not be a shock to any of you to hear that all of the doctors had been male. Now do not get me wrong here. I am not a sexist but I do consider myself a realist. If I had been a male patient I would have been ordered to have a multitude of medical tests to rule out many serious ailments.

I seriously doubt that I would have been sent on my way with a prescription to have sex with my wife!



Now I know us women get a bad rap because we are a tad bit "hormonal" at times but at least we have an excuse. These male doctors were just bastards round the clock! At times my anger would take over, but I now realize that it was because of that anger that I found the strength to get answers. Dare I thank the little bastards? Nah.



There's more to come in 'Disease of the Month: Lupus Part 2"

Sincerely,
Meg Walsh
megwalshonline.com
author, "Mama, Won't You Play With Me?"

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