Last year, in September, Lucy Vodden passed away from complications of systemic lupus erythematosis at the age of 46. More than 40 years ago, when Lucy Vodden was Lucy O'Donnell, one of her nursery school classmates drew a picture of her surrounded by stars (see below). That classmate, Julian, took the picture home and showed it to his father, John. When John asked Julian what he had drawn, Julian replied "That's Lucy in the sky with diamonds."By now, of course, you've figured out that Julian's dad was none other than Beatle John Lennon and Julian's depiction of his classmate Lucy became the inspiration for The Beatles' song that appeared on their 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
1965-1967 was the period during which the Beatles were experimenting with pyschedelic drugs and many believed that the song title and lyrics were thinly-veiled references to LSD and its mental effects. Although John Lennon denied this, the song was banned by the BBC.
In June of 2009, Ms. . Upon hearing about her five-year struggle with the disease and her deteriorating condition, Julian Lennon remembered his former classmate and reached out to offer his emotional support to "the girl with kaleidoscope eyes."Images of butterflies and wolves are associated with lupus because of the of people with the disease. When lupus was first discovered hundreds of years ago, doctors of that time thought that patients looked like they had been bitten by wolves (lupus is the Latin word for wolf).
Last May, 24-year-old Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (AKA Lady Gaga) that she had "tested borderline positive" for lupus.
Diagnosing lupus can be difficult and it may take months or even years to piece together the various signs and symptoms to make a definitive diagnosis. Making a correct diagnosis in the most timely and accurate fashion requires knowledge and awareness on the part of the physician and good communication on the part of the patient. Providing a complete and accurate medical and family history is critical. This information, along with a physical examination and help to distinguish lupus from other diseases it mimics.
Speaking of family history, it was reported that Ms. Gaga "caught the disease" from her aunt Joanne. Of course, lupus is an autoimmune not an infectious disease. This assertion by the popular press was doubly misleading because aunt Joanne died 12 years before her niece Stefani was even born! Talk about .....
Lupus was also in the news in July when rap artist Calvin Broadus (AKA Snoop Dogg) revealed that his daughter Cori, 11, had been coping with the disease since she was 6 years old. Cori is reportedly doing well on medication and, , "She’s the toughest little thing I’ve ever met… She’s on the honor roll, playing volleyball and softball, living life. She has all this joy. In the beginning lupus was winning. But now Cori is.”
For more information on lupus, including links to clinical research trials, . Did you know that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) spends nearly for research on autoimmune diseases?