Lauren's story is like many other vasculitis patients within the UK. They all share a delayed diagnosis with the symptoms of Vasculitis. A delayed diagnosis can be fatal or can cause chronic damage to vital organs affected by the disease. Lauren died when she was only 15 from Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis (Wegeners) in 2010, a variant of vasculitis that caused haemorrhaging in her lungs.

Lauren's charity set up in her memory to support patients, The Lauren Currie Twilight Foundation, is funding and producing a series of GP e-learning modules on vasculitis, in partnership with the Royal College of General Practitioners. These modules are linked to GP CPD development and fully accredited with the RCGP. Lauren's foundation has been raising public awareness since 2010, as well as raising awareness within the medical community via the British Society for Rheumatology and the Renal Association. This is the first GP awareness campaign that is linked to professional development for vasculitis.

In raising awareness and education with UK wide GPs, we have the opportunity to diagnose vasculitis sooner and in doing so we can save lives and improve the outcome for patients. Our charity is already funding and delivering an extensive range of patient support services that includes regional support groups, patient respite facilities, wellbeing courses, counselling services, patient helplines, research and public awareness campaigns. Our funds are limited as we do not receive government funding and we continue to fund our existing support services. 

Lauren's foundation is crowdfunding to support these additional and valuable initiatives. We hope you will help and Join the Fight Against Vasculitis.