The Lupus Foundation of America, North Carolina Chapter (LFANC) will be bringing together hundreds of patients and caregivers and the medical community at its 14th Annual NC Lupus Summit on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2014. It will take place from 9:00AM-3:30PM at the Raleigh Marriott Crabtree Valley located at 4500 Marriott Drive.

The Annual Lupus Summit is the largest educational conference in the state and provides a variety of informative workshops led by physicians and other leading experts. This year’s conference theme is “Discovering Hope Through Creativity” and session topics include: Lupus 101; Lupus and Intimacy; Lupus and the Gastrointestinal System; Financial Empowerment; Lupus and the Skin; Patient-Caregiver Communication; Complementary and Alternative Treatments; Creative Outlets, and Gentle Yoga. The event will also feature exhibitors from organizations and business that provide resources to the lupus community.

Joan T. Merrill, MD, one of the world’s leading experts on lupus, will present “Will the New Biologic Treatments Make a Difference?” – during the keynote session. Dr. Merrill is Head of the Clinical Pharmacology Research Program at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF), OMRF Professor of Medicine and Adjunct Professor of Pharmacy at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. She is the Medical Director of the Lupus Foundation of America and is an active member of the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics and the Lupus Clinical Trials Consortium.

The event is open to the public, but pre-registration is required by Friday, Oct. 17. The cost is $15 per person and includes lunch and a special gift. Ticket scholarships are available. For more information or to register, call toll-free to 877-849-8271, x4 or visit http://www.lupus.org/northcarolina/events/entry/14th-annual-nc-lupus-summit.

“Our annual summit is a wonderful opportunity to bring the lupus community together from around the state for a day of learning, meeting others and getting inspired by the talent and creativity of those living beyond their diagnosis,” said Christine John-Fuller, President & CEO of the LFANC. “This conference is another important step we are taking to help to solve the cruel mystery of lupus so we encourage anyone impacted by lupus to attend. Many thanks to our generous sponsors for their support and to all of our speakers for sharing their time, talents and expertise.”

About Lupus:

Lupus is an unpredictable and misunderstood autoimmune disease that ravages different parts of the body. It is difficult to diagnose, hard to live with, and a challenge to treat. Lupus is a cruel mystery because it is hidden from view and undefined, has a range of symptoms, hits out of nowhere, and has no known cause and no known cure. Its health effects can range from a skin rash to a heart attack. Lupus is debilitating and destructive, and can be fatal, yet research on lupus remains underfunded relative to its scope and devastation.

About the Lupus Foundation of America, North Carolina Chapter

The Lupus Foundation of America, North Carolina Chapter is part of the national force devoted to solving the cruel mystery of lupus while providing caring support to those who suffer from its brutal impact. We work with local health professionals and volunteers to provide information and programs to ensure people with lupus and their families get answers and health professionals know about new means to diagnose and manage the disease. The chapter serves an estimated 45,000 living with lupus in North Carolina. For more information about lupus or the LFANC, visit www.lupusnc.org or call (877) 849-8271. For the latest news and updates, follow us on Facebook and Twitter.