ButYouDontLookSick.com : A Husband's Perspective - Lupus Advocacy Day

I am proud of my wife, Christine. I am proud of the work she does for the Lupus Alliance, this website, and for our family. I am proud of her passion to help others, and the impact she has had on so many people through her speaking engagements, and of course, through ButYouDontLookSick.com.

I had the pleasure of joining Christine and the Lupus Alliance on a recent trip to Washington DC, to promote Lupus awareness and lobby for the support of local congressional representatives. We decided to bring our seven month old daughter, Olivia, and my role was to care for her during the trip so that Christine could fully participate in the Advocacy Day activities. This included training sessions, lectures, and individual meetings with congressional representatives Carolyn McCarthy (D, New York) and Peter King (R, New York).

Christine, along with others from the Lupus Alliance Long Island/Queens Affiliate, spoke of initiatives by the Lupus Research Institute to fund Lupus research programs, and request status reports on research programs that are already in progress. It was comforting to see that these issues seem to be bi-partisan, and both representatives (McCarthy a Democrat and King a Republican) pledged their continued support as they have done before in the past.

It was exciting to see the brilliant and vibrant woman that I know and love as she once again demonstrated her ability to captivate an audience when she speaks, whether to a small group of friends, or an elected official in our nation’s capital. At the same time, it reminded me how much this illness has stopped her, and so many others, from using these skills towards a career in such as marketing or public relations.

That is why we felt it was so important to be a part of Lupus advocacy day. Our country offers us the opportunity to speak out and make a difference. While a letter to the president may go ignored, that same letter to your local congressman will not. Hopefully, with enough attention, others will follow suit, and our children and grandchildren may only learn about diseases like Lupus from history books.

Until then, and even if such progress comes in my lifetime, I remain a proud husband, continuously amazed by the passion and desire to help others that I have seen from Christine.

By Frank Donato, © 2008 butyoudontlooksick.com

Helpful Links:

Find your local congressional representative:
Lupus Research Institute:
Lupus Alliance Long Island/Queens: