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Franet Foundation Advances Lupus Research
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Susan Franet
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A keen listener with a sharp mind, Susan Franet had a knack for putting people at ease, from the shy students in her special education classes to elderly acquaintances.
This talent came in handy when she joined a lupus support group near her Walnut Creek home. Afflicted with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) during the 1970s, Susan began sharing information with fellow sufferers of the disease, which at the time of her diagnosis was still poorly understood.
Susan eventually became the group's president, organizing events and advising new patients puzzled by their unpredictable symptoms—everything from severe fatigue and swollen joints to heart disease and kidney failure.
"Susan dedicated her life to supporting others," affirms her mother, Florence. "The group's contact number was her own home phone number. Every time someone called complaining of symptoms, she personally researched their questions and got back to them with answers."
Susan led the group for 12 years before passing away in 1989 at age 37. After her death, a family friend gave the Franets a check for $100, directed to the "Susan Mary Franet Lupus Foundation." It hadn't occurred to Florence to start a foundation, but before long she and her husband Francis were running a nonprofit organization.
After 17 years at its helm, Florence decided to dissolve the foundation—but not before making one last contribution to honor her daughter's legacy. The foundation's $12,000 balance will bolster pathbreaking lupus research at UCSF, headed by Lindsey Criswell, MD, MPH.
By studying large groups of patients and their family members (including the Franets), Criswell is working to better understand how genetic and environmental factors impact disease development among ethnic groups. She is especially interested in the link between genes and serious lupus complications such as kidney disease—an ailment that afflicts Florence's son, Michael. A lupus patient himself, Michael underwent successful kidney transplant surgery at UCSF several years ago. His sister, Joan, was the kidney donor.
"Lupus affects no two people in the same way," Criswell explains. "Thanks to the generosity of donors such as the Franet Foundation, we are drawing closer to understanding why certain genes trigger specific symptoms—and how best to treat, and someday cure, this debilitating disease."
To support lupus research at UCSF, contact Helen Dannelly at 415/502-6293 or hdannelly@support.ucsf.edu.
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