Interview with AARDA National Spokesperson - Emmy Nominated Kellie Martin

Martin explains her starring role in the campaign, "As a new mom and someone whose family has been touched by autoimmune disease, I want all Americans to understand why knowing their family AQ is so vitally important."

Martin's sister Heather passed away at the age of 19 from a misdiagnosed case of lupus in 1998.

"Unfortunately, the Martin family's experience is not uncommon since autoimmune diseases are often very difficult to diagnose," added Virginia Ladd, president and executive director, AARDA. "Symptoms can be sporadic and seemingly unconnected and the diseases can affect almost any part of the body with unpredictable patterns of flare-ups and remissions. Thus most autoimmune diseases are diagnosed by a combination of blood work, clinical findings and a careful history, not only of symptoms, but also of a detailed family medical history."

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Autoimmune diseases
• Kellie Martin
• AARDA
• Lupus
• autoimmunity