PRESS RELEASE           FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Walk to End Lupus Now – Madison Celebrates 12 Years!
  
Middleton, WI, September 13, 2025 – The 12^th annual Walk to End Lupus Now – Madison is back at Firemen’s Park in 2025! Join hundreds of local lupus warriors and their supporters for a morning of music, community, and lupus awareness benefitting the nearly 30,000 people in Wisconsin suffering from lupus. Funds raised for this event support lupus research, education, resources, and support. Join the members of your community who realize the urgency to find a cure for this debilitating disease. Visit lupuswi.org for registration and information.
“Lupus is such a mysterious autoimmune disease, that even health professionals have difficulty diagnosing it.  Currently, it takes an average of 6 years to diagnose a patient with lupus. By the time a diagnosis is made, a patient has usually seen approximately FIVE (5) different health professionals. Yet, every 32 minutes someone is diagnosed with lupus. The time is NOW to find the cause and cure for lupus.  Be the reason we find the cure and walk with us!”
 
    
 
Dawn T. Semanko
President & CEO, Lupus Foundation of America, Wisconsin Chapter                         
Scan to register, sponsor,
     and get more info
 
 

Adult pre-registration is $30 and children (15 & under) is $20 

Pre-registration runs through September 10, 2025 at lupuswi.org

 Lupus Foundation of America, WI Chapter website: www.lupuswi.org  or call (414) 443-6400        
 
•       Every 32 minutes, someone is diagnosed with lupus. 
•       Lupus is a chronic, autoimmune disease that leads to inflammation and tissue damage to virtually any organ in the body, including the brain, heart, lungs, kidneys, skin and joints
•       Lupus has many different symptoms, so it affects each person differently. Thus, this disease is also known as the mystery disease
•       Approximately 1.5 million Americans and 5 million people worldwide have a form of lupus
•       There are over 28,000 people living with lupus in Wisconsin 
•       Ninety percent (90%) of those diagnosed with lupus are women between ages 15-44, but lupus also occurs in children and men
•       On average, it takes approximately six (6) years to diagnose lupus patients o By the time a diagnosis is made, the patient has seen an average of five (5) health care professionals, including specialists
•       African Americans, Hispanics, Asians and Native Americans are two to three times more likely to develop lupus – a disparity that remains unexplained
•       African Americans & Hispanics develop lupus at a younger age and the disease may be more severe for them than in the general population
•       As many as 1 in 250 African American women will develop lupus
These statistics are alarming. Yet, most people know very little about lupus. The Lupus Foundation of America, Wisconsin Chapter, is part of the only national force devoted to solving the mystery of lupus, one of the world’s cruelest, most unpredictable, and devastating diseases, while giving caring support to those who suffer from its brutal impact. We envision a life free of lupus.
Our mission is to improve the quality of life for all people affected by lupus through programs of research, education, support and advocacy.
 
###
 
For additional information or to learn more about lupus, contact us at: (414) 443-6400  or visit our website at: https://www.lupuswi.org