Phenomenal Women’s Health recently celebrated 13 years in operation and paid homage Katherine Peterson who lived a life dedicated to service to others, even in the face of all odds. The beloved benefactor, who succumbed to a battle with lupus, was known as an exceptional mother, grandmother, and friend who gave selflessly. She fought so valiantly that the news of her illness came as a surprise to many as she continued to persevere and fight the disease.
The event, which took place on Nov. 5 at the the InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta Hotel, and was hosted by Twanda Black, also honored Aleta McLean, Bryant Reid, and S. Sam Lim, MD, MPH for community service. They were also invited to share their experiences with lupus or those of a loved affected by the autoimmune disease in a panel discussion. The Katherine Peterson award recipient, Georgia state Rep. Kim Schofield, also joined the conversation and shed light on what lupus is and how it affects the body.
The event, which took place on Nov. 5 at the InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta Hotel, and was hosted by Twanda Black, also honored Aleta McLean, Bryant Reid, and S. Sam Lim, MD, MPH for community service. They were also invited to share their experiences with lupus or those of a loved affected by the autoimmune disease in a panel discussion. The Katherine Peterson award recipient was granted to Georgia state Rep. Kim Schofield. Community service awardee, Aleta McLean added to the conversation and shed light on what lupus is and how it affects the body.
“Imagine waking up in the middle of the night to turn on the air and your legs give out on you, imagine going to the ICU and being screened by multiple specialty physicians and still being unable to diagnose you with anything. Imagine being told, ‘we will have to do a bone marrow biopsy because your white blood cell count continues to drop, you’re at a higher risk of infection,’ and you still don’t know what’s wrong with you. Then imagine being told you have lupus, there is no cure, and you will be on medication for the rest of your life,” McLean shared.
This year, the organization chose to bring awareness to lupus, as the disease is often not diagnosed until it’s at an advanced stage. The event not only educated participants, but it raised money for research.
Phenomenal Women’s Health founder Cheryl Burnside was also honored for her commitment and the countless hours and resources she puts into the organization and its mission.
“We try to educate women so they will educate their families about their health. We feel like if you can save a woman, you can save generations. We have seen so many mistakes in the past with people getting sick, that we decided that we need to educate, equip, empower, and support women and girls that are underserved. That way they can make well-informed decisions about their health, mind, body and spirit,” Burnside added.
