Lupus is a chronic, autoimmune disease that causes the body to attack its own immune cells and the microbes that it should be defending itself against. Lupus affects almost 1.5 million Americans and approximately 5 million people worldwide. There are different forms of the disease and anyone can be diagnosed with it. Currently, the only forms of treatment are immunosuppressant drugs and chemotherapies. There is no cure for Lupus.

Because someone I love is affected by Lupus, these are my 3 reasons why you should donate and join the fight against Lupus.

1. It's the right thing to do.

As a decent human being, you can't resist the looks you get from girl scouts and people asking you to donate money. Any donation made goes directly to the fight towards lupus. This is my face along with a few others. Say, you should donate to team DebSquared!

2. It's tax refundable.

"The Lupus Foundation of America is a tax-exempt, charitable organization and is eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions under the IRS Code 501(c)(3). Our Federal ID # is 43-1131436. Your gift may be 100 percent deductible from your taxable income if you itemize your deductions." -Lupus Foundation of America.

3. You're helping to find a cure for my best friend's mom.

This is Debbie and her family. She's an amazing woman. She made sure Joel and I got to high school on time, that we got our homework done when we were hanging out, and spent years telling us that we were going to end up marrying each other because we fight like an old couple. She's loving, caring, and definitely a fighter. At age sixteen, she was diagnosed with epilepsy, and once the seizures finally stopped, she was later diagnosed with Lupus. Debbie's entire story can be found here, and she raises money to walk in the Walk for Lupus at MetLife Stadium every year. I'm not sure if I will be able to go this year because I'll be in the process of moving to Colorado, so I am writing this article to show people how important it is to donate to causes that help find a cure, especially for Lupus. You can register for team DebSquared as a Walker, Virtual Walker, or a Volunteer. Donating is not necessary to join the team, but it is much appreciated because you will be helping to find a cure for Debbie and the millions of others who have been diagnosed with this terrible autoimmune disease.