By VANESSA VALENZUELA
KEILOR resident Emmy Koroneos has taken a step forward in the fight against Lupus.
The 19-year-old joined hundreds of others Victorians in the Lupus Foundation Walk for Lupus Awareness on Saturday to raise funds and awareness for the life-threatening disease.
Emmy, who is currently studying community development at Victoria University, said she had been looking for volunteer roles and stumbled across the Lupus Foundation.
“I always wanted to do more volunteer work and this is something that you don’t hear about very much,” Emmy said.
“I think this is a really good cause. You hear a lot about breast cancer awareness, and prostate cancer, which are both important, but with something like this, not a lot of people know what it is.”
Lupus is a chronic auto-immune disease where the immune system fails to recognise its own cells and tissues from foreign invaders.
As a result the immune system produces antibodies directed against itself, causing inflammation and damage to tissues and organs.
It can cause joint pain, strokes, fatigue or heart attacks and kidney failure.
“It’s not a very well-known disease, even though five million people in the world have it,” she said.
“It is a really debilitating disease and there is no treatment for it at the moment.”
Walk for Lupus Awareness participants assembled at the Melbourne Town Hall for a flag-raising ceremony before starting their walk down Swanston St.
If you would like to volunteer or donate contact the Lupus Foundation on 8555 9295 or visit www.lupus-sle.org
