Montgomery County council proclaims May as Lupus Awareness Month, highlights diagnosis delays and treatment gaps

Council Vice President Giwando opened a May 22, 2025, Montgomery County Council session with a proclamation designating May as Lupus Awareness Month and invited patients, researchers and advocates to speak about the condition.

The proclamation and accompanying remarks focused on how lupus disproportionately affects women, particularly women of color, long delays to diagnosis, limited treatment options and the need for research and community supports. “I’m really proud to sponsor this proclamation again to draw attention to this autoimmune disease often called the cruel mystery,” Council Vice President Giwando said.

Why this matters: County officials and health advocates said lupus can be an “invisible” but severe disease that affects major organs and imposes physical, emotional and financial burdens. The council heard firsthand accounts from people living with lupus, representatives of the Lupus Foundation of America and researchers from the National Institutes of Health.

Lupus patients described long diagnostic journeys and daily impacts. Christine Zammit, introduced as a “lupus warrior” and a health care provider, said she has lived with lupus for about two decades and that fatigue and pain are persistent challenges. “Days like that for me, I can wake up extremely tired, and I still have to go to work,” Zammit said. Carol Cordova said she was diagnosed in 2015 after five years of unexplained fevers and hospital stays and emphasized side effects and limitations of existing treatments. “There are not enough or sufficient lupus treatments out there in the market,” Cordova said. Tori Dickerson, diagnosed as a teenager and living with lupus nephritis, described fatigue and the benefit she has experienced with current medication.

Researchers and advocates spoke about ongoing work and resources. Dr. Hassani, identified as chief of the Lupus Clinical Trials Unit and director of the Lupus Clinical Research Program at the National Institutes of Health, told the council the NIH has decades of research on lupus and that “we continue to do research. We continue to try to understand, and try to make, life better for patients with lupus, one patient at a time.” Zach Fjurer, senior director at the Lupus Foundation of America, and representatives from GlaxoSmithKline and an organization called EndoBlack also attended.

The proclamation summarized several points cited during remarks: an estimated 1.5 million people in the United States live with lupus; about 90 percent of people with lupus are women; systemic lupus constitutes roughly 70 percent of cases and can affect major organs including kidneys, lungs, heart and brain. Presenters said many patients wait years for diagnosis — council remarks referenced an average of about six years in the diagnosis process — and that approved therapies are limited and costly. GlaxoSmithKline’s drug Benlysta was mentioned by patient speakers as a current treatment many rely on.

The council read the formal proclamation into the record and presented it on behalf of the body.

Looking ahead: The proclamation calls for increased public awareness, better access to diagnosis and treatment, and continued investment in research; no county legislative or budgetary action tied to the proclamation was proposed during the meeting.