Rachel Wiser is running the United Airlines NYC Half marathon with the Lupus Research Alliance (LRA) Team Life Without Lupus to honor her good friend Ani who died of lupus 20 years ago at age 12.

Rachel remembers Ani’s illness with great sadness, reflecting on her many missed days of school and much time in the hospital. On a quest to learn as much as she could about the disease, Rachel “obsessively” searched the internet and found our legacy organization, the Alliance for Lupus Research.

“I was 12 and I called the ALR, leaving a voice message that I wanted to get involved.” That was just the beginning of her many years of association with the organization.

The young preteen organized “Ani’s Team” at school, and together with her family, classmates and parents, raised thousands of dollars for lupus research. In addition, Rachel traveled with her mom Rebecca to Capitol Hill several times, meeting with legislators to share Ani’s story in hopes of increasing federal funding for lupus research. Thinking back, Rachel realizes how much she learned attending these conferences and hearing researchers talk about lupus and why research was so necessary.

“I had so much fun and met so many amazing people at the Walks and the research conferences. I remember being so impressed by this woman in a wheelchair who spoke four languages but couldn’t work because she had lupus. I wanted to help someone like her!”

After walking and volunteering at the ALR Walks throughout middle school and high school, Rachel kept up with lupus news throughout college. “I have seen such progress over the past 20 years, new drugs and more in development! I love knowing I helped make that happen!”

Now living in Manhattan as an associate at Bank of America, Rachel is proud that her company is matching whatever she donates for running with the LRA Team Life Without Lupus!  She is excited to once again be working with people who care about people with lupus and is even planning to bake cookies for the Team to show her affection.

Urging everyone to give what they can to Team Life Without Lupus, Rachel noted, “When I was 11, I thought it was amazing that 100% of people’s donations go to lupus research. But now that I’m older and know more about the nonprofit world, I appreciate how truly incredible that promise really is. Knowing that every dollar I raise will help ensure a better life for girls like Ani makes every step easier.”

Contribute to LRA Team Life Without Lupus.