DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM Lisa-Ann Burnett, above, who works at Lehua Elementary School and needs a kidney transplant, shares a group hug with the school's preschool children in Jo-Ann Seo's classroom. Heather Gorsuch, a parent and blood bank coordinator for the school, has taught children about the importance of blood donations. Many kids wore red on Friday to show solidarity with Burnett.

Surrounded by support

A woman's struggle with
a chronic lifelong disease stirs
an entire school to action

Students and staff at Lehua Elementary School in Pearl City are rallying behind a school worker who has lupus and needs a kidney transplant.

Ways to help For more information about lupus, call the Hawaii Lupus Foundation at 538-1522. To learn more about blood donation, call the Blood Bank of Hawaii, 845-9966, or 800-372-9966 from the neighbor islands.

The kids wore red shirts on a recent school day in support of Lisa-Ann Burnett and the blood that will be needed if a transplant is scheduled. On the back of the shirts for her children, Amir, 9, and Amos, 6, was printed, "Thanks for supporting my mom."

The school also held a blood drive in the cafeteria Tuesday to help increase the community supply for whoever needs it, including Burnett.

"It was a great turnout," she said, noting that 45 units of blood were collected.

Burnett's husband, Amos, a chief petty officer on the Navy cruiser Port Royal, was among the blood donors. He had been tested as a potential kidney donor for her transplant, but Burnett said she was informed after the drive that he is not a match for her.

"I was kind of disappointed. He brought me flowers and a wonderful book, 'Angels Everywhere' by Lynn Valentine. It lifted my spirits," she said.

Other family members also have been tested as kidney donors, she said. "I know there's somebody out there. I have to stay positive."

Heather Gorsuch, a volunteer at the school, said she felt the blood drive was a "huge success," and the school plans another one in March.

Stephanie Rosso, Blood Bank spokeswoman, said organ transplants "can require incredible amounts of blood, and that's a procedure taking place every day on Oahu."

Burnett, 39, has had lupus 17 years. "Basically, I never heard of lupus before the day I was diagnosed with it," she said. "My husband and I had a 15-second cry and said we were going to get through this. We just keep going and we don't look back."

Lupus is a chronic, lifelong autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the body's tissue and organs instead of protecting against viruses, bacteria and other foreign substances. The joints, kidneys, heart, lungs, brain, blood and skin can be affected.

Burnett said she has had surgery on both hips because blood was not getting to her bones. She was previously on kidney dialysis and chemotherapy to slow down kidney damage. She nearly died in 1992 because of excessive fluid, she said.

"It's a horrible illness. It wreaks havoc on you."

Sharleen Oshiro, Hawaii Lupus Foundation executive director, said about 30 percent of lupus patients "will have kidney involvement," but "not all necessarily will need a transplant."

She said one out of 185 people have lupus nationally, which, applied to Hawaii, indicates about 7,000 to 10,000 islanders are afflicted.

The cause of lupus is unknown, and it is difficult to diagnose because many symptoms mimic other illnesses, according to the Lupus Foundation of America. Treatments vary depending on the patients' symptoms and needs.

But the Lupus Foundation says up to 90 percent of people with non-organ-threatening lupus "can look forward to a normal life span."

Burnett hopes to be able to have a kidney transplant in April when she will be 40. "It will be a great birthday present," she said.