Beyond Surviving to Thriving: When Lupus Attacked this Black Woman, a warrior wa

Can We Talk for REAL

May is Lupus Awareness Month! Lupus is a chronic, autoimmune disease that can damage any part of the body (skin, joints and/or organs inside the body). African-Americans are three times more likely than Caucasians to develop lupus and with greater severity. Black females disproportionately are burdened by lupus. Joining CAN WE TALK FOR REAL ,May 25, 2016 is Sharon L. Harris, founder and president of Lupus Detroit. Ms. Harris will share her journey from diagnosis to Lupus Warrior raising awareness about the disease and advocating for others stricken with Lupus so they could also not just survive but thrive.A month after graduating from Florida A & M University, she was diagnosed with discoid and systemic lupus. Soon after the diagnosis, she had a “what if tomorrow is never promised” moment. Shortly after the lupus went into remission, she passed two rigorous interviews and six weeks of training and became a flight attendant for Mesaba Airlines. Her reasoning was if lupus was going to attack her, it would have to find her on the beaches of Aruba or high above the Eiffel tower. In late 2008 threatened her health and well-being. Sharon experienced a lupus flare so great that her doctor told her there was nothing left that he could do. He then patted her on her back and told her “good luck”. Within a year, Sharon raised more than one million dollars in pledges, in-kind donations and sponsorships for the organization. In 2009, her Lupus Walk team raised almost $5,000 for lupus research. This led her to be a sought after lupus advocate, participating as a guest on radio and television. She has travelled to Washington D.C to lobby Congress and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on behalf of those with lupus. The genetics of lupus in minority populations is starting to get the attention it deserves in part due to the efforts of Warriors like Sharon L. Harris.