BALTIMORE — A sea of purple took over Canton Waterfront Park. Not for the Ravens, but to raise awareness for an important cause.
WATCH: Baltimore lupus walk raises $65,000 for research at Canton Waterfront
The Walk to End Lupus Now was held over the weekend in Baltimore. WMAR-2 News returned as the media partner with our Kara Burnett serving as emcee. Together, teams surpassed their fundraising goal, raising more than $65,000 for lupus research.
There's no cure for the autoimmune disease that affects more than 1.5 million Americans. It attacks healthy organs and tissues, often causing debilitating pain.
One family walked to honor their daughter, Kiva, who lost her battle with lupus.
"It attacked her organs, her heart, so a lot of the things that she was used to doing she couldn't do anymore because she had to go to dialysis 3 days out of a week," said Judy Bellamy, Kiva's mom.
"Kiva forever. I'm sorry, I'm trying to hold my tears. Um, I can't. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I love you. I love you. I love you," said Sierra Claridy, Kiva's cousin.
The fight doesn't end here. The Lupus Foundation's DMV chapter says donations are open through October 20th. Next up, the walk in D.C. on September 27th, followed by Richmond on October 11th.
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