Journalist and Lupus Patient Kicks Off Lupus Awareness Month with Innovative Book Release

NEW YORK - May 1, 2013 - PRLog -- May has finally arrived, and as Lupus Awareness Month kicks off, Lupus patients have another tool to help raise awareness and offer inspiration. Journalist, Lupus patient and Board Member for the Lupus Foundation of America, Southeast Chapter, Marisa Zeppieri-Caruana, has released her innovative book on the disease, entitled Lupus: Real Life, Real Patients, Real Talk.  Zeppieri-Caruana set out to find men and women across the nation who would openly share the hurdles and small victories that occur daily when battling a debilitating and cruel disease like Lupus. “I wanted to gather a compilation of stories that were transparent and raw, and use these stories as a way to educate those who truly don’t understand what a Lupus patient goes through on a daily basis,” explains Zeppieri-Caruana. “My goal was to veer away from your typical medical book and focus more on the patients. I think it is imperative for other Lupus patients, especially those who are newly diagnosed, to not feel alone. Lupus is a frightening and cruel disease – and even more so, if you feel you are dealing with it on your own. I want all of the men and women with Lupus to know that we are in this together. I understand what they deal with on a daily basis and so do the men and women in this book.”    In addition to a collection of personal stories (including Zeppieri-Caruana’s), the book also features “Perspective Highlight” segments, presenting a variety of perspectives from those who do not personally have the disease but care for someone who does. The book also contains sections written by Amy Kelly-Yalden, CEO of the Lupus Foundation of America, Southeast Chapter, who lost her sister to the disease at the age of 34, and Dr. Magdalena Cadet, Director of Rheumatology at New York Presbyterian, who cares for many men and women who have the disease.     Lupus is a chronic autoimmune and inflammatory disease that affects 5 million men and women worldwide. In a patient with Lupus, the immune system that was originally designed to protect the body turns against itself.  The main organs affected are the kidneys, heart, lung, brain, and also the skin and joints. Currently there is no cure, and until recently with the release of Benlysta, there was no medication specifically created to help Lupus patients.      Lupus: Real Life, Real Patients, Real Talk is now available on Amazon/Kindle for $9.99, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Lupus Foundation of America, Southeast Florida Chapter. “This book offers a glimpse into the lives of the seventeen year old with Lupus who gets dialysis treatments after school; the medical school graduate who suddenly becomes unable to take care of herself; and the newlywed who is trying to figure out how to balance a career, marriage and a chronic illness.  It will make you laugh and make you cry. Most of all, if you are a Lupus patient, family member, caregiver, etc. it will offer you hope, inspiration and tangible information,” adds Zeppieri-Caruana.     To learn more about the book or schedule an interview with Marisa Zeppieri-Caruana, please call 954-394-6312 or email LupusSurvival@aol.com. Lupus: Real Life, Real Patients, Real Talk is published by Thoughts and Letters Press and available on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CL13F6W ( ISBN-13: 978-0-615-80877-2) for $9.99. You can learn more about Marisa and Lupus: Real Life, Real Patients, Real Talk by visiting www.LupusSurvivalGuide.com

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