Erika Poquette, 18, wants people who suffer with lupus to know they cannot let the chronic autoimmune disease rule their lives.
Poquette graduated from Ansonia High School last week. She was diagnosed with lupus in February 2005, when she was in eighth grade at Assumption School.
Yet despite dealing daily with the disease, Poquette excelled in academics and played softball and volleyball all four years of high school. She served as captain of both teams, said volleyball coach Brian Casey.
"She is quick, not only in school but on the court and on the field," Casey said. "She's hard-working and she is intelligent enough that she was like another coach when she sat next to me on the bench," he said.
"She understands everything that needs to be done (during a game). She is able to communicate with her teammates and coaches." Casey also is assistant coach of the softball team.
"Erika inspired me and the other coaches," he continued. "You would never know she had (lupus). She didn't want anybody to feel sorry for her and she never wanted to be treated any differently than anybody else."
Erika's mother, Laura Poquette, said she was pleased that the second annual 5K Walk for the Alliance for Lupus Research last Saturday raised slightly more than its $20,000 goal. Last year, the event was held in Hamden and raised $15,000.
Laura Poquette, who is a single mother of two, said she had been concerned that with the sluggish economy, they would not meet the goal of $20,000. She and Erika hope to make the walk an annual event at Jarvis Field in Ansonia.
Erika Poquette said the walk "was such a success; it was so much fun." She was glad this year there were many more people participating who have lupus. "There needs to be so much more research, that's why we need to raise money."
Erika Poquette also said she and her mother plan to start a support group that would meet monthly for people who have lupus. "We can talk about issues with someone who feels the same as you feel."
It's important for people with the disease to stay active, she said. "Exercise releases endorphins, which are natural pain relievers," Erika Poquette said. Playing two sports helped her to focus on games and practices and that took her mind off of her aches and pains, she said.
According to the Alliance for Lupus Research Web site, lupus can affect the joints, skin, kidneys, heart, lungs, blood vessels and brain. There is no cure for the disease.
In autoimmune diseases, the immune system, which is designed to protect against infection, attacks the body's own tissues and organs.
Erika Poquette said, "I want people to see that you can continue with your life. You can't stop doing what you love because of lupus." One of her favorite sayings is: "I have lupus, but lupus doesn't have me."
Poquette will attend Providence College in September. She plans to major in biology and pursue a career in nutrition and hopes to get involved with intramural sports. To see more of New Haven Register, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.nhregister.com. Copyright (c) 2009, New Haven Register, Conn. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
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