Lupus Research Alliance Invites New Jersey Community to Walk with Us to Cure Lupus May 17 at MetLife Stadium

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., April 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Lupus Research Alliance (LRA) will unite thousands of dedicated lupus champions and the community at the "2025 New Jersey Walk with Us to Cure Lupus" Saturday, May 17 at MetLife Stadium. 

May is Lupus Awareness Month when attention turns to this chronic autoimmune disease affecting millions of people worldwide, primarily women and particularly women of color.

The New Jersey Walk with Us to Cure Lupus, now in its 22^nd year provides a meaningful opportunity for people with lupus and their families and friends to form fundraising teams and connect with others in the community who are passionate about finding a cure for this debilitating autoimmune disease. The event also fundraises for the research that the LRA supports to improve treatment and ultimately find a cure. The public is invited to register as individuals or teams; advance registration is encouraged and available through Walk Day.

Featured speakers at this year's Walk with Us to Cure Lupus include 18-year-old Miah Andrade who has had lupus since childhood and her mom, the highly committed lupus advocate Elizabeth SantaCruz. Having been misdiagnosed for two years, Miah hopes sharing her story at the Walk will help other kids and their parents to know the symptoms of lupus to look for and how to face its diagnosis with a positive attitude.

"If you are too tired to wake up for school, it might not just be because you stayed up late studying," says Miah. "If your joints hurt when you play sports, it might not just be growing pains. Tell the doctor because these symptoms could mean you have lupus."

"When the Walk with Us to Cure Lupus program first began, it set forth a path toward realizing our vision for a world free of lupus," said Albert T. Roy, President and CEO of the Lupus Research Alliance, the world largest private funder of lupus research in the world. "With promising new treatments on the horizon, hope is stronger than ever. But to meet the needs of each person living with a disease that affects everyone differently, more targeted treatments are critically needed, underscoring the importance of funding innovative research. Working alongside the dedicated lupus community, including those who support our Walks, we strive to reach the ultimate goal of a cure."

Walk Details:
Saturday, May 17, 2025
MetLife Stadium, 1 MetLife Stadium Drive, East Rutherford, NJ
Registration opens: 9:00 AM ET -- Walk starts at: 10:30 AM ET
Includes light refreshments, fun festivities, photo booth, Kids Zone, and inspirational speakers. Opportunity to take photos with New York Jets players.
Advance Registration Open Now 

The LRA thanks the many dedicated Walkers as well as sponsors whose donations make the New Jersey Walk with Us to Cure Lupus possible including Johnson & Johnson, New York Jets, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, RWJBarnabas Health, Atlantic Health System and Bristol Myers Squibb. With this collective support, the New Jersey Walk is well on its way to reaching the fundraising goal of $425,000.

The New Jersey Walk is part of a nationwide program which began over two decades ago and has now raised more than $45 million for lupus research.  Because the LRA's Board of Directors covers all administrative and fundraising costs, every dollar goes directly to support lupus research programs. Register on the NJ Walk Page or email Lisa Champion at [email protected] for more information.

To learn more about lupus and the Lupus Research Alliance, visit LupusResearch.org and subscribe to receive e-newsletters.

About Lupus 
Lupus is a chronic, complex autoimmune disease that affects millions of people worldwide. In lupus, the immune system, meant to defend against infections, produces autoantibodies that mistake the body's own cells as foreign, causing other immune cells to attack organs such as the kidneys, brain, heart, lungs and skin, as well as blood and joints. Ninety percent of people with lupus are women, most often diagnosed between the ages of 15-45. Black, Latinx, Indigenous, Asian and Pacific Islander people are disproportionately affected by lupus and more likely to experience severe lupus symptoms.  

About the Lupus Research Alliance 
The Lupus Research Alliance is the largest non-governmental, non-profit funder of lupus research worldwide. The organization aims to transform treatment by funding the most innovative lupus research, fostering diverse scientific talent, and driving discovery toward better diagnostics, improved treatments and, ultimately, a cure for lupus. Because the Lupus Research Alliance's Board of Directors funds all administrative and fundraising costs, 100% of all donations goes to support lupus research programs.

About Lupus Therapeutics 
Lupus Therapeutics, the clinical research affiliate of the Lupus Research Alliance, aims to accelerate the development of curative treatments for all patients living with lupus. Lupus Therapeutics collaborates with premier research institutions, biopharmaceutical partners, and those living with lupus through the unprecedented Lupus Clinical Investigators Network (LuCIN) to drive rapid and meaningful progress in treatment development. The organization elevates the patient voice, engages community stakeholders, and strives for representation of the diverse lupus community in the clinical research process with the most innovative and renowned experts throughout North America. Visit LupusTherapeutics.org for more information. 

SOURCE Lupus Research Alliance