At Jacksonville’s Walk to End Lupus Now, survivors like Jennette Eggen shared their profound stories of resilience, raising awareness & community support for lupus.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — People living with lupus and their supporters came together at the University of North Florida Saturday morning for the 11th annual Walk to End Lupus Now.

The event brought together lupus warriors, families and community members to raise awareness about the disease and show support for those living with it.



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For Jennette Eggen, lupus has been part of her life for two decades, and the disease has affected generations of her family.

“I woke up one day, everything was in pain and I had no idea,” said Eggen. “I felt like I was hit by a train. It was like it was really bad within a week. All my joints locked up. Everything was inflamed.”

Eggen said she was diagnosed with lupus 20 years ago. She says her parents also lived with the disease, and her grandmother died from it.

“I went to the doctor, I was one of the very few who was diagnosed with lupus right away,” said Eggen. “Most people take seven years to diagnose.”

Eggen said the disease eventually affected her heart when she was 28 years old. She underwent open-heart surgery and said doctors were not sure if she would survive.

“I’m here 20 years later, celebrating this October, my 20 years past open-heart surgery,” said Eggen. “They didn’t think I’d make it past 10, but over the years it’s been really hard.”

Despite the challenges, Eggen returned to the Walk to End Lupus Now as one of many people showing support for the lupus community.

For another Jacksonville woman, Saturday marked her first time participating in the walk.

“It is not an easy journey; it is painful,” said Jennette Akins-Jones.

She said events like the walk are important because they remind people living with lupus that they are not alone.

“An event like this gets the message out and lets people know that there is support out there for you,” said Jennette Akins-Jones. “Anybody with lupus, unless you know the comorbidities that come with it, along with lupus and in the African-American culture, it really sends a message that there is support for us.”

The Walk to End Lupus Now raises awareness and support for people living with lupus while bringing the community together around the disease.