Ind. resident runs 26.2 miles to gain awareness for Lupus Foundation

Ever feel like your body is working against you? Maybe your eyes won’t adjust to the blinding morning sun, or you’re so tired that you can’t fall asleep.

Since age 19, Billy Elliott’s body has literally been working against him. The 26-year-old DePauw University alumnus has Lupus Nephritis, a chronic autoimmune disease that turns the body’s protective antibodies into harmful invaders.

“I have lost roughly 50 percent of my kidney functioning,” Elliott said. “Imagine your kidneys as a net and the effect of Lupus as taking scissors to it.”

Despite this debilitation, Elliott and his friend Gerald Sims raised money in Bloomington for the Lupus Foundation of America by creating a service called “Lugging
for Lupus.”

“Billy and I were sitting in my truck last summer trying to think of a fun way to raise the money,” Sims said. “We suddenly thought, ‘Hey, we can use this truck to help people move around Bloomington.’”

During the past few months, Elliott and Sims have helped 25 to 30 people move across town, all but two or three being students, Sims said.

“We got lots of calls from ads and flyers, and it turned out to be a fun and convenient way to raise the money,” Sims said.

The money raised was donated to the foundation as an associate charity of the 26.2-mile Bank of America Chicago Marathon.

Sims and Elliott ran in the race Sunday as part of the Lupus team.

The two said they collected some personal donations but mostly raised the money
through their services.

“My friend Gerald Sims and I are running together,” Elliott said. “I have always led an active lifestyle, so a marathon seems like a natural progression.”

Elliott and Sims said they adequately prepared for the marathon, with their longest training run being more than 20 miles.

Their enthusiasm built their anticipation.

“Forty-five thousand people lined up to race. That’s like all of IU at the start,” Sims said. “The crowd was spectacular. It really keeps you going on the hard parts where you don’t want to.”

An estimated 1.5 million Americans are living with Lupus, according to the Lupus Foundation of America.

The disease is not limited to an age group, race or gender, though roughly 90 percent of Lupus patients are women.

Alex Moy, a junior at the University of Illinois, has lived with the same form of Lupus as Elliott since she was 11-years-old.

“I would say I’ve had about four flares since I’ve started college,” Moy said. “I had to take a semester off of school to concentrate on my health.”

Both Elliott and Moy emphasized the substantial range of symptoms that Lupus patients can experience.

Moy said her flares have included extreme fatigue, achy joints, fever, hair loss and rashes, but the symptoms might not be obvious.

“Often times, people with Lupus don’t look ‘sick’ at all,” Moy said.

Both Moy and Elliott said they have found their own ways to cope with the disease.

“I’ve chosen not to be bitter about the frustrations that I have had to deal with,” Moy said. “Instead, I channel my energies towards advocating and spreading the word about this disease.”

Elliot also stands up to Lupus, saying he strives to have his lifestyle shape his Lupus, rather than Lupus shape his lifestyle.  

“It’s important to focus on controlling the things you can control,” Elliott said.