Through Airmen's Eyes: Raising awareness for Lupus

by Lt. Col. Belinda Petersen
Air Reserve Personnel Center Public Affairs

6/19/2013 - BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- Staff Sgt. Nicole Turley, client support technician from the Air Reserve Personnel Center, thought she had grown up with a family who all had healthy lives. It was not until Turley was an adult that she found out her aunt was diagnosed with Lupus.

According to the Lupus Foundation of America, Lupus is a chronic, autoimmune disease that can damage any part of the body, especially the skin, joints, blood, and kidneys. Their research estimates that at least 1.5 million Americans have Lupus and more than 16,000 new cases of Lupus are reported annually.

For reasons not known to Turley, her aunt kept it hidden from her family for years before it was revealed. "I had never heard of Lupus, so when I found out about my aunt's illness, I wanted to research everything I could about it," she said.

"Three things stood out to me," said Turley. "First, there is no cure. Secondly, there is a lot they do not know, so the Lupus Foundation of America was created as a non-profit organization where all the funds they receive go directly to research to find a cure for Lupus."

"Finally, certain ethnic groups have a greater risk of developing Lupus, which may be related to the genes they have in common," she said. "This resonated with me because my family is of Native American descent and enrolled with the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Michigan."

Turley immediately started donating to the Lupus Foundation of America, but she wanted to do more. "I believe sharing information about Lupus to fellow Airmen and their families will benefit them everywhere," said Turley. "Many people in the military probably know someone with Lupus or have been personally affected by Lupus."

That's why Turley organized "Nicole's Team" for an event called Walk to End Lupus Now held in Denver. For the past two years, Nicole's Team participated in this family-friendly, non-competitive 5K walk that not only raised funds, but also raised awareness.

"The most awe-inspiring was when they had people talking on the stage about Lupus," said Turley. "The speaker asked how many people in the audience have been diagnosed with Lupus in the past 5, 10, 20 and 30 years. Seeing all these different people around me with their hands raised was just beyond words."

Another benefit of participating in an event like Walk to End Lupus Now is the chance to meet other people and rally together to support one another. More than 1,200 people participated. "I spoke with a woman from the Buckley AFB classifieds group on Facebook whose mom died of Lupus and she also had been recently diagnosed with Lupus," she said. "It was great to have her walk with my team."

Turley was happy to find out that her team raised $349 more than the previous year. "Nicole's Team made $865 during this year's event held in Denver on June 2nd, which is amazing to me," she said.

While there is not a cure for Lupus, Turley's leadership by raising awareness and money may one day contribute to ending Lupus for everyone, including her aunt. One thing is for sure; you will see Nicole's Team again next year in Denver for the Walk to End Lupus Now.