Ronald Reagan

“ The outlook for victims of lupus has been improving in recent years. The survival rate has increased as a result of greater awareness of the disease, improved diagnostic methods, and more effective treatments. However, new research findings and new approaches to diagnosis and improved treatment are urgently needed to eliminate lupus as a cause of human suffering. The Federal government and private voluntary organizations have developed a strong, enduring partnership committed to lupus research. ”

“ In Witness Whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 13th day of October, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-three, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and eighth. ”

“ Systemic lupus erthematosus (also known as lupus, or SLE) is a serious, potentially fatal, connective tissue disease that can affect many different organs of the body. More than 500,000 Americans are estimated to have lupus, approximately 90 percent of whom are women. The disease usually begins in adolescence or young adult life. ”