Sufferers of Lupus in need of support I'm writing you today because I would like to suggest a topic for a story. I've been on the internet writing similar letters to different groups, talk shows and newspapers, and since I live here I thought I might be able to put a more personal spin on the story.

Lupus is a life-threatening disease that attacks the immune system. About 2 million Americans have been diagnosed with lupus. More people have lupus than Aids, Multiple Sclerosis, Muscular Dystrophy and Leukemia COMBINED, but little is known about the cause or treatment because it is primarily a women's disease. Lupus destroys the lives of young women in their child bearing years. U.S. Rep. Carrie Meek, D- Florida, introduced new legislation to help step up research with the hopes that a cure will be found. The Lupus Bill, HR 1111, is extremely important to lupus patients who desperately need the funding available.

Lupus patients from across the country have joined together to make some quilts, similar to the Aids quilts, to promote public awareness for lupus and tour the country and end up in Washington, D.C., to support HR 11111.

I need help in representing our state on these quilts. If you know anyone who has lupus or any auto-immune disease or if you want to help represent us please make us a 7 in. X 7 in. quilt square on cotton material and mail it to me. I will send them to the person who is so graciously making these quilts for us.

The square can have anything on it that you would like, a name, picture, date, favorite motto etc. This project is very important to us so please consider making us a square. If you don't know someone with lupus or any auto-immune disease we have many who are unable to make their own squares who need to be represented so we will put a name on your square.

Hello Walmart,

My name is Beth and I have 6 kids so you can imagine the amount of money that I send in your stores. I do have a problem that I would like you to be aware of and that is your flourescent lights. Within 10 mins. of entering your store I have to sit down and my husband has to buy me a soft drink because I feel like all my energy has been zapped from me.

I have lupus along with several other diseases and your lights really hurt me and cause me to go to bed for several days after shopping. I have discussed this with my Rheumy Dr. and my Dermy Dr. and they both agree that my problem is the lights. I break out in a cold sweat, my heart starts beating fast and my head gets so dizzy that I can't walk.

My husband is a Technical Advisor for an oil company and the big lighting companies, GE, Phillips etc. have developed an energy saving 32 watt, 4 ft. flourescent tube for commercial use. It uses 12% less energy than the standard 40 watt tube and gives ff less harmfull radiation. The oil company is converting all of their stores over to this new technology. The bulbs are available in a cool white or a pink white and the light given off by both lights are sufficient enough for commercial use.

Please for my sake and for the health of almost 2 million people that suffer from our silent disease would you consider to changing your bulbs and ballasts? You will save money and help us.

Sincerely,

Beth I. Illingworth

The idea and person responsible for us being able to show the Lupus A.N.A disorder quilt is Chelsea Arnett. Chelsea lives in Bourbon, Mo. Her teen age daughter Terri has lupus so Chelsea went to the Lupus Foundation Of America's website to find out information and talk with other's about this mysterious disease. She saw a need that we needed to raise public awareness about this little known disease and she started work on making us a quilt. A group of us helped her by sending her quilt squares.

Our Grand Strand Quilters, thanks to Shirley Zimmerman, made us any quilt squares for our quilts. So far Chelsea has made us 4 quilts. To read her story and see pictures of the quilts and squares please go to:

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland /3736/index.html

Without her big heart and hard work this quilt would not have been made. Each square has a name of a person who is living with lupus or A.N.A. Disease. There is also a memorial quilt for those that have passed this year. It is my honor to show this quilt in this show to promote awareness and educate as many people as I can about Lupus.

Sincerely,

Beth

Dear Neighbor,

I am writing to you today about something that is very near and dear to my heart. Unfortunately I have an autoimmune disease that little is known about the cause or treatment because it is primarily a women's disease.

We the patients of these diseases are making quilts, similar to the Aids quilts, to tour the world to promote public awareness. We need help in getting these squares made because we are ill and can not do it alone. If you can please consider making us some squares for our quilts.   The squares are to be 7 in. by 7 in. of cotton material leaving 1 in. all the way around to be sewn to the quilt. The square can have any theme, favorite saying, anything you'd like on it. It can be painted, sewn, cross stitched, glued, anything you can imagine. If you know someone who has Lupus or any autoimmune disease please put their name on the square. Each square will have a name put on it of someone who suffers with a disease.

I appreciate your time and consideration in helping us with this project. Hopefully one day we will make a difference in finding a cure.

God Bless,

Beth .