The First LupieGirl Event!

The Lupus Awareness Brunch 

And it HAPPENED!  I DID IT! WE DID IT!

               I am so happy! We turned Lupus into Lemonade!
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It’s been THREE whole months since my last post and I will say that I’ve been BUSY BUSY!! Lets just say that I had a hot girl working summer break and now I’m BACK!! Heeey!!

  Happy August!
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So, on Sunday May 26, 2019, exactly THREE years since launching this site, The Journey of The LupieGirl, I hosted my first event, The Annual Lupus Awareness Brunch, Turning Lupus Into Lemonade and let me tell you... I was in Awe. ​

I was in awe first by how everything turned out, but then the people that showed up!!!
O M G!           
Beautifully dressed. Happy Spirited.  Optimistic. No expectations. Open mindedness. 

​​This brunch was literally a thought that came to me one day. I wanted to do something that was small and would graciously honor those warriors living with Lupus and raise awareness for Lupus.  We know that Lupus affects many people (almost 2 million nationally) but it's not recognized enough. Many other illnesses such as breast cancer are heavily supported and I dream for Lupus to receive that same attention. Lupus is an illness that can kill you. Lupus is an illness that affects people individually and their families and it is an illness that is expensive and can take things away from you, such as the ability to work, to live independently or bare children. 

When I started planning for this event, I only wanted 30-40 people. Once I stated that the event was sold out, so many people inquired on purchasing tickets through texts, emails, and even called the venue! I wanted the environment to be intimate where it could be a safe space where we could cry, reminisce and truly be able to stand in our truth and be recognized for at least a moment. 

And we did just that. 

Many people have learned about Lupus through the lens of my journey, watching how it has affected my life, including my thoughts, my emotions and even my outlook on life. However, at the brunch, two other Lupus Warriors had the chance to speak, allowing people to look through their lens on how Lupus has affected their life. With Lupus, every warrior's journey is different. Lupus affects individuals where they only experience skin issues or where others are needing organ transplants. These two women are amazing along with all of the great warriors that were in that room and for that, I couldn't be more happy and thankful. 

And then I spoke. Many times, there are things that we want to do. There are people we want to address and for me, Lupus and bringing it's awareness to the forefront is what I wanted. So, I made the platform for myself and other Lupies to be heard. 

So where do we go from here? We go up. We go all the way up bringing awareness to Lupus, one Lupie at a time. 

But that's not even it ya'll!

I am so proud to announce that...

The LupieGirl is now a Nonprofit organization!!!

The LupieGirl is now The LupieGirl, Inc. However, it's still called The LupieGirl. Like I said in my speech at the brunch, The LupieGirl WILL BE a 501c3 orgnaiztion and she is that! I've prayed and worked very hard on this! In addition, The LupieGirl, Inc. will not only provide support to those with Lupus, but also to individuals that are living with a chronic illness! This couldn't have been done without the help of all those who have been there with me on this awesome, annoying, hopeful, hopeless, and BOMB DOT COM journey! 
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The goal of the LupieGirl is simple.
I want to provide support to individuals living with a chronic illness as well as  to those who are affected by it such as a caregiver or loved one. PERIODT!

We have to bring more awareness to illnesses that are affecting our communities and not being talked about! 

I am so happy and I can't wait for what is to come in the near future!

If you or anyone wants to help to continue to spread awareness, please email me at [email protected]