Birmingham Walk to End Lupus brings out huge crowd

On Sunday, April 9, hundreds of families and friends gathered at Veterans Park from 1-4 p.m. to be part of the Birmingham 2018 Walk to End Lupus Now. People fundraised in teams and covered the park in purple, the color used to represent lupus awareness.

The event was hosted by the Lupus Foundation of America, and according to their website, they are the only national force devoted to solving the mystery of lupus, which is a chronic autoimmune disease.

The walk around Veterans Park was one mile. There were also children's activities, which included a bouncy house, face painting and various crafts. Some people wore purple costumes or customized team t-shirts, and even some dogs were dressed in purple shirts or tutus.

The Birmingham 2018 Walk to End Lupus Now was put on to increase awareness and raise money for lupus research, in addition to rallying public support for the 27,000 people who suffer from the disease in Alabama, according the the Walk to End Lupus Now website. 

As of Monday, April 9, about 51 percent of their $25,000 goal — or nearly $13,000 — has been raised this year. 

For more information about the Lupus Foundation of America and the Walk to End Lupus Now, in addition to donation links, go to lupus.org.