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Walk for Lupus Returns to Southside Park

Thursday, 28 May 2026 at 06:11

By Marcie Culbert @marcieculbert

Staff photo

The event has raised over $92,000 for Lupus Ontario over the past 16 years.

WOODSTOCK - Lots of people will gather in Southside Park for the Walk for Lupus.

It will be taking place on Saturday June 6th, and the event draws in well over 100 people.

Jann Ropp started the local walk 16 years ago and she was bit worried at first.

"I didn't think I could do it, but with family and friends our first walk was in May 2011 and 49 people came out for it."

The Woodstock event has raised over $92,000 for Lupus Ontario since then.

Ropp says Lupus is a chronic auto immune disease.

"The cause is still a mystery, but they do know that the body's immune system, which is our own defense against virus and bacteria, is unable to tell the difference between something good and something bad in our body. It starts fighting and if there is nothing bad there to fight, then it attacks your joints and then moves on to organs."

It mostly affects women between the ages of 15 and 44 and Ropp says about 1 in 1,000 women over the age of 45 have it today.

Check in for this year's Walk for Lupus in Woodstock will start at 10:00 a.m. with the walk itself starting one hour later. They will also have a silent auction, a 50/50 draw and more on site for those who attend.

If you find more information about the Walk for Lupus and donate to the cause online here.

Jann Ropp and Joyce Watson stopped by the Heart FM studio to chat with Dan and Marcie on Wednesday, May 27th. You can listen to the full interview below:

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