CPS & Kooyman Lupus Awareness Event a Success
GREAT BAY, Sint Maarten (DCOMM) – The Collective Prevention Services (CPS), a department in the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labor (Ministry VSA), joined with Kooyman in hosting an event for Lupus Awareness Month on Friday, May 26 at Kooyman in Cay Hill. The event was a huge success.
“We are thrilled with the turn-out to our first ever Lupus Awareness Event,” said Evencia Carty-Seabrookes, Kooyman Commercial Officer.
The audience was in full attention of the guest speakers and very interactive as it pertains to asking questions and sharing their experience with Lupus.
Through partnership with CPS, both organizations have managed to reach many Lupus warriors in the community and give them a platform to speak on this autoimmune disease.
From this, CPS received names of attendees who are interested in forming a support group. Persons of the community who are also interested can email CPS at cpshealthpromo@sintmaartengov.org.
One of Kooyman’s very own employees, Sophia Fleurissaint is a Lupus warrior and the inspiration behind reaching out and doing more in regard to this disease.
CPS and Kooyman do hope that many other companies will join them and take the time to learn more about the disease and start the conversation about Lupus. They look forward to supporting this cause with future events and/or initiatives.
CPS along with Kooyman would like to thank the community at large for coming out in numbers, and a big thank you to their guest speakers, Dr. van Essen, Ms. Jeshneila Carti, and Dr. Tasheena Thomas- Maccow for sharing their expertise and shedding light on the topic, and vendors/stakeholders Deejay Flip, Bartender Dido, Fit Foods, Zen 2D Zone, Scents by K, Octavia’s Beauty and Fayani for the experiences offered.
Lupus is a disease that can affect people of all ages, races, and ethnicities. It is a chronic, autoimmune disease that affects many different parts of the body.
An autoimmune disease occurs when the body’s immune system attacks itself because it cannot tell the difference between healthy tissue and bacteria/viruses.
Lupus is an incurable disease, but there do exist treatments that can make living with it more manageable and improve the prognosis of the patient significantly.
It cannot be transmitted from person to person, but it does seem to appear more frequently in people who have a history of it in their families.
Lupus is a tricky disease to catch because it is often mistaken for other afflictions, which means it can go undetected for years without even the person affected knowing.
Amongst other symptoms, sufferers may exhibit a fever, tiredness, an increase in mouth ulcers, and may even develop arthritis.
A common symptom of a lupus sufferer can often be seen on the skin of the face; a bright red rash that runs from the bridge of the nose, under the eyes, and across the cheeks.
Because of this, it is often known as the ‘butterfly rash’. This butterfly rash is one of the most commonly associated symptoms of the disease – in fact, it is likely to be where it got its name from, with a part of its scientific name lupus erythematosus – ‘erythroid’ being derived from the ancient Greek word for ‘red’
