Marking the 20th anniversary of its national walk program, the Lupus Research Alliance recently brought thousands of people together at MetLife Stadium for the 2022 New Jersey Walk with Us to Cure Lupus to raise lupus awareness.
Lupus is a chronic, complex autoimmune disease that affects millions of people worldwide. More than 90% of people with lupus are women. African Americans, Latinx, Asians and Native Americans are two to three times at greater risk than Caucasians.
As honorary chair of the 2022 New Jersey Walk, New York Jets Chairman Robert Wood “Woody” Johnson highlighted the LRA’s accomplishments and its vision for the future.
New York Jets Vice President of Community Relations Jesse Linder introduced current team players who came out to champion the lupus cause, including cornerback Michael Carter II, long snapper Tom Hennessy, punter Braden Mann, kicker Eddy Pineiro and tight end C.J. Uzomah. The program kicked off with a welcome by Brenda Blackmon, LRA board member and Emmy-Award winning broadcast journalist.
The mission of the Lupus Research Alliance is to fund breakthroughs in the treatment and cure for the autoimmune disease.
Since its inception, the LRA has invested $220 million in promising lupus research — resulting in the validation or testing of more than a dozen potential therapies for lupus.
“Despite progress and promise in lupus research over the past two decades, much more needs to be done,” Johnson said. “I attended the first-ever New Jersey walk 19 years ago, and I’m proud of how the community comes together each year to support people with lupus.”
The LRA appreciates the support of all its sponsors, including corporate sponsors GSK, Johnson & Johnson, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Atlantic Health System, RWJBarnabas Health, PNC Bank, M&T Bank, New York Jets and Wawa, as well as pharma partners Aurinia Pharmaceuticals USA Inc., Equillium and Genentech, a member of the Roche Group. Special thanks go to the thousands of people contributing to finding better treatments and a cure. Because the LRA’s board of directors covers all administrative and fundraising costs, 100% of donations goes directly to lupus research programs.
