What a difference a decade makes

At 16, my biggest question in life was will this ever get better?

Will I ever be able to quickly get out of bed, into the shower, squeeze the shampoo bottle, get my arms through stiff coat sleeves, pry open the fridge door, grab a gallon of milk with one hand and walk down the front steps without feeling overwhelmed by pain, stiffness and exhaustion? Will I know for sure that when I sit down for class, I'll be able to get up with no one the wiser?

I'm incredibly lucky that I have had excellent medical care and responded dramatically to existing medication. Team Life Without Lupus is fundraising for life-changing medical care for those who cannot afford it, and for research into treatments and cures for the disease, which continues to affect all of us (even those who can keep their legs going for 26.2 miles).

The $2,418.92 we've raised so far, part of the $100,000 raised by Team Life Without Lupus, will fund these medical care and cutting edge research programs of the S.L.E. Lupus Foundation.

One last call- if you were planning to donate but haven't done it yet, now is the time. https://www.firstgiving.com/katemagaram

And for those of you who are planning to come out and see the Marathon (I'd love to see you!), here's a map and information on athlete tracking:

Runner Tracker

Interactive Course Map

Thank you all for your generous support (financial and emotional) and encouragement, and for humoring me through all the marathon talk and lame bedtimes. I'm not sure how to say a big enough thank you to the people who have been supporting me for years, cutting me slack and much needed breaks, and supporting my decisions in taking calculated risks to live life as I want to live it despite lupus. My 16 year old self would not have believed I could be here in a decade.