Glassboro shopowner turns affliction into benefit for others

After working as a nurse for 25 years, Theresa LaMonaca woke up one morning in the summer of 2002 not able to move.

"I was incredibly ill, I swelled," LaMonaca, 57, of Washington Township, recalled. "I was in awful, awful pain."

More than six months of uncertainty about her ailment followed before LaMonaca was diagnosed with lupus.

"If you knew me before I was sick," LaMonaca said. "They used to call me the Energizer Bunny. I would do amazing things."

She remembers the severity of her symptoms during that time and the years that followed, including blood clots, chronic pain, infections, and intense headaches.

At her worst, LaMonaca said, she needed to take 22 pills a day.

Though LaMonaca describes herself as "spiritual" but not particularly religious, she recalls one day in 2007 kneeling and seeking divine intervention.

"If you help me get better," LaMonaca prayed, "I will figure out a way that I can help."

Soon after, LaMonaca said, her symptoms improved.

In 2009, she opened a fashion boutique in Pitman called Treasures on Broadway and began donating some of the proceeds to lupus charities. She moved the store to Glassboro in 2014.

Soon after starting in Pitman, she decided she needed to do even more to fight lupus, and now LaMonaca is celebrating the fifth anniversary of her Spring Butterfly event, named after the butterfly-shape rash that occurs in many lupus patients.

She started the event in 2010 to benefit the Philadelphia-area chapter of the Lupus Foundation of America and raise awareness about the disease.

The event will be a ballroom gala, LaMonaca said, featuring fashion, dinner, and live music.

LaMonaca said there will be auctions for prizes, such as a cruise vacation and signed Philadelphia sports memorabilia, as well as gift baskets from local businesses.

Past events raised $7,000 to $10,000, LaMonaca said, and this year she hopes to raise more than $20,000.

The foundation calls lupus a chronic autoimmune disease that "ravages different parts of the body" and can affect any organ or tissue.

The foundation refers to lupus as "a cruel mystery," as there is no known cure, causes are unknown, and it is difficult to diagnose.

The foundation estimates that 1.5 million Americans have lupus, including about 40,000 in the Philadelphia area, and, although it can affect anyone, 90 percent of people living with the disease are women.

Annette Myarick, chief executive officer of the foundation's Philadelphia Tri-State Chapter, calls LaMonaca an inspiration for "turning her diagnosis of lupus into action."

"The Butterfly Ball and other events hosted by our champions like Theresa not only raise critical funds to fight lupus, but also bring much needed awareness," Myarick said.

In 2012, the national foundation released a study showing that 72 percent of Americans between ages 18 and 34 have either never heard of the disease or know very little about it.

LaMonaca said her lupus continues to flare up occasionally, hospitalizing her at least once a year. She said she must deal with fatigue, swollen joints, and pain every day, but she refuses to let her symptoms rule her life.

She credits her husband and five children for never letting her "give into the disease."

The Spring Butterfly Ball is on Sunday from 4 to 8 p.m. at Auletto Caterers, 1849 Cooper St., Deptford. Tickets are $75 and available online through the Spring Butterfly Ball 2016 Facebook page, or at Treasures on Broadway, 227 Rowan Blvd., Glassboro.

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jmcguire@phillynews.com

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