October, 2023

Amy, Jon, and Mary Kay Bottorff
Lupus Warrior
LRA Supporters & Friends

When her daughter Amy was diagnosed with lupus, Mary Kay Bottorff searched for two years before deciding to support the Lupus Research Alliance (LRA).

That’s because she and her husband Jon know the power of research.  They had seen what it can do with the contributions they had given to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to help their son Eric when he was diagnosed as an infant with this genetic disease. Because of research treatment advances, Eric defied the expectation that he wouldn’t live long enough to attend college, and now at 41 he is married and working as an adjunct professor at a community college.

“That’s the kind of results we hope to see in lupus. We support the LRA because they can do the most good for Amy in the long-term,” noted Mary Kay.  “What’s going to help her are pharmaceutical breakthroughs. No other organization is honed in on the research that will bring about those discoveries.”

While every person with lupus is unique, Amy’s experience is all too familiar.  She was diagnosed at 32 after a visit to the ER found she had pleurisy (inflammation of her lungs.) Pleurisy continues to be her main symptom along with extreme fatigue and joint pain – all signs of lupus.

“At 39, Amy looks well but struggles with lupus each day.  As Director of E-Commerce at Reyolds Consumer Products, she works really hard. Unfortunately, she can’t do more than two things in a weekend because she just doesn’t have the energy. Jon and I have more energy than she does!”

From their experience with lupus, Mary Kay advises others newly diagnosed to find a good doctor with whom you can communicate. “It’s going to be an ongoing relationship.”