The New York Jets Go on the Offense at the Lupus Research Alliance 2024 New Jersey "Walk with Us to Cure Lupus"

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearly 1,500 supporters will help tackle lupus this Saturday, May 4, for the Lupus Research Alliance (LRA) 2024 New Jersey Walk with Us to Cure Lupus at MetLife Stadium. Together, the passionate group of people with lupus and their friends and family expect to raise nearly $500,000 for lupus research as well as public awareness of the serious and commonly misdiagnosed autoimmune disease affecting millions worldwide.

The program kicks off Lupus Awareness Month with a welcome by LRA President and CEO Albert T. Roy and inspiring messages from Julie Keenan, Vice President, Corporate Brand Equity, Global Corporate Affairs of Johnson & Johnson; Jill Wedeen, Assistant Director, Food & Nutrition of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital; Jesse Linder, Vice President, Community Relations, New York Jets; and Bishop Rudy Carlton, LRA Board member and Pastor at Jehovah-Jireh Praise and Worship Church.

The day is filled with family fun including Jets Fest inflatable rides, magicians, characters, face painting, and photo booths. A yearly crowd-pleaser ? several current Jets players meet with fans on the field.  Chairman of the New York Jets, Robert Wood Johnson, is Founding Chairman of the LRA and Honorary Chair of the New Jersey Walk.

The LRA has invested more than $245 million in funding research that is delivering discoveries that can improve treatment while driving for a cure for lupus. Building on work funded by the LRA, more than a dozen therapies for lupus are currently in testing as potential treatments for this devastating autoimmune disease. The organization's clinical research affiliate, Lupus Therapeutics, is a significant partner in many current clinical trials and, ensuring that diversity of people living with lupus are fairly represented and the patient perspective is reflected in the clinical research process.

"Never before has the outlook for lupus treatment been more hopeful with dozens of clinical trials underway for this complex and chronic autoimmune disease," said Roy. "We need more safe and effective treatments because lupus differs from person to person. The future is particularly promising with engineered cell therapies being studied in lupus."

In addition to the New York Jets, the LRA also greatly appreciates the support of all its sponsors, including Johnson & Johnson, RWJBarnabas Health, Atlantic Health, Bristol Myers Squibb, and PNC Bank. Special thanks go to all who showed up at the stadium and online with donations to the Lupus Research Alliance on behalf of people with lupus waiting for new treatments and a cure. Because the LRA's Board of Directors covers all administrative and fundraising costs, 100 percent of donations goes directly to lupus research programs.

Participation in LRA's Walk program is free. Beginning with registration at 9:00 AM, the Walk takes place at MetLife Stadium, at 1 MetLife Stadium Drive in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Walk with Us to Cure Lupus is a major fundraising event, and everyone is encouraged to raise donations to support lupus research. Visit www.lupusresearch.org or Email [email protected]  for more information about the event.

Joining the Walk with Us to Cure Lupus program is just one way to contribute to the lupus cause. During May, Lupus Awareness Month, LRA invites the lupus community to get involved to make a difference. The ManyOne Can campaign reflects the tremendous value every person in the lupus community brings to the fight to improve treatment while driving to a cure -- because while no one individual can do it alone, together ManyOne Can!  The ways people with lupus, friends and family can help are also many by fundraising, advocating for increased federal research dollars, raising disease awareness, and taking part in the clinical research process.  If you like to donate to the New Jersey Walk, please click here.

About Lupus
Lupus is a chronic, complex autoimmune disease that affects millions of people worldwide. More than 90 percent of people with lupus are women; lupus often striking during the childbearing years of 15-45. African Americans, Latinx, Asians, and Native Americans are at two to three times greater risk than Caucasians for developing lupus. In lupus, the immune system, meant to defend against infections, produces antibodies that mistakenly recognize the body's own cells as foreign, prompting other immune cells to attack and potentially damage organs such as the kidneys, brain, heart, lungs, blood, skin, and joints.

About the Lupus Research Alliance
The Lupus Research Alliance is the largest non-governmental, non-profit funder of lupus research worldwide. The organization aims to transform treatment by funding the most innovative lupus research, fostering diverse scientific talent, and driving discovery toward better diagnostics, improved treatments and ultimately a cure for lupus. Because the Lupus Research Alliance's Board of Directors funds all administrative and fundraising costs, 100 percent of all donations goes to support lupus research programs.  For more information, please visit the LRA at LupusResearch.org and on social media at:  X, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

SOURCE Lupus Research Alliance