Location: DoubleTree by Hilton-Greenway

The Lupus Foundation held their 15th Anniversary Gala chaired by Erica Craven Fazande and Jermaine Fazande, honoring Vivian Wise, Dr. Namieta Janssen, MD and Dr. Eyal Muscal, MD. Since this gala took place right before election time, they cleverly named it the Red+Blue=Purple party! POP stands for Put on Purple, where people wear purple during the month of May, which is Lupus Awareness Month. Lupus affects over 1.5 million people and over 30,000 in the Houston area. Guests were treated to a lovely evening of dinner, silent auction and lots of dancing!

Their honoree, Vivian Wise is one of Houston’s most amazing fashion-minded philanthropists. Founder of Texas Legacy Foundation in 2015, Vivian quickly put the spotlight on lupus at her 2016 Heart of Fashion May Mystery Show benefitting the Lupus Foundation of America. In addition, she and her Heart of Fashion Team were among the top teams at the 2016 Walk to End Lupus NOW, showcasing her Heart of Fashion Silver Streamliner, Babette, at the VIP Walk Tent. The Lupus Foundation chose to honor her this year not only for the awareness and funds she raised for the LFA, but also for introducing a little purple to an otherwise pink society!

Dr. Namieta Janssen, MD is a Board Certified Rheumatologist who has served on the Lupus Foundation’s Medical Advisory Council as a speaker, advocate and patient resource for the organization. She is also a Principal investigator on several ongoing large clinical trials for lupus treatments.

Dr. Eyal Muscal, MD is a Pediatric Rheumatologist at Texas Children’s Hospital. He has been affiliated with the Lupus Foundation for 10 years sand has been instrumental in strengthening the partnership between the TCH Pediatric Rheumatology Clinic and the Lupus Foundation.

These are three amazing people that are clearly making a difference for those suffering from lupus.