THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 20, 1996 TAG: 9610180198
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LORI A. DENNEY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 64 lines
You can have dinner, honor the memory of a courageous Virginia Beach woman and help out a local charity all at the same time next weekend.
The Lupus Foundation of America, Eastern Virginia Chapter, is holding a fund-raising dinner in the memory of its founder, Mary Elizabeth ``Molly'' Page, who died after a 20-year battle with the disease in 1990.
``This (the foundation) was Molly's baby,'' said Lillie Wilson, president of the chapter for two years. ``She guided it as you would a young child. The people who get support from this group now owe it to Molly. It was her courage and her hard work that made it happen.''
The foundation, which met for the first time in 1980 in Virginia Beach under Molly's direction, will host the dinner at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the Holiday Inn Executive Center on Greenwich Road. Cost for the dinner is $35 per person or $60 per couple. Guy Friddell, a columnist with The Virginian-Pilot will be the guest speaker. October is also Lupus Awareness Month.
This is the first dinner sponsored by the group and its first effort at fund-raising, aside from its annual grapefruit and orange sale which usually begins in late October.
``We're hoping to honor Molly and raise funds for research but, most importantly, raise awareness about the disease,'' said Wilson, a Chesapeake resident whose daughter and granddaughter have been diagnosed with lupus.
The local chapter has 288 members in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Newport News and Hampton.
Lupus is characterized as a disease which causes inflammation of various parts of the body, including the skin, joints, blood and kidneys.
Although there is no cure for lupus, early detection and treatment can mean the difference between life and death, said Wilson.
The local chapter provides free literature about the disease as well as monthly educational support meetings. The group also publishes a quarterly newspaper. MEMO: For reservations or tickets to the dinner, call 490-2793 or
485-5805. Donations can also be mailed to: Pembroke One, Suite 442, 281
Independence Blvd., Virginia Beach, Va. 23462. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Molly Page
Graphic
LUPUS FACTS
The cause of lupus is unknown. The disease can be mild or severe
and life-threatening. Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease that
often causes painful inflammation of the skin, joints and organs.
Lupus is sometimes called a ``woman's disease'' despite the fact
that many men are affected. Lupus can occur at any age, and in
either sex, although it occurs 10 to 15 times more frequently among
adult females than among adult males.
A 1994 study conducted by Bruskin/Goldring Research found that
approximately one out of every 185 Americans has lupus.
More people have lupus than AIDS, cerebral palsy, multiple
sclerosis, sickle-cell anemia and cystic fibrosis combined.
Information was provided by The Lupus Foundation of America Inc.,
Eastern Virginia Chapter. by CNB