ABOUT

WHAT IS LUPUS?

WHO IS IDA?

HOW YOU CAN HELP

CREATIVE PROJECTS

 

PLUM BLOSSOM
FOUNDATION

 

 

EDUCATING THE GENERAL PUBLIC ABOUT LUPUS BY SUPPORTING AND SERVING THOSE AFFECTED

BY THE DISEASE, AND BY PROMOTING LUPUS AWARENESS AND HEALTHY LIVING.

"I SEE MY DIAGNOSIS AS A PLATFORM TO EDUCATE MYSELF AND OTHERS
DEALING WITH CHRONIC HEALTH CHALLENGES. I'VE LEARNED THE SYMPTOMS
OF LUPUS CAN BE REVERSED when OPTIMAL HEALTH IS ACHIEVED BY
MAINTAINING AN ALKALINE DIET AND LIFESTYLE."

 

IDA KOLADER, LUPUS SURVIVOR + FOUNDER of PLUM BLOSSOM FOUNDATION

Plum Blossom Foundation was founded by Ida Kolader in 2011, and is dedicated to raising active participants in the world to support, serve and educate those affected by Lupus, directly or indirectly, and to promote healthy living by providing resources, information and education.

 

Our mission is to provide insight and perspective to individuals and families dealing with Lupus, and other chronic health challenges.

 

Our focus is on finding balance by living the best life you can, always moving towards your most optimal level of health through nutrition and an alkaline lifestyle.

 

We hope that our voice will be heard in order to affect a change in the way the medical and social communities view and treat people living with chronic illness.

 

The Plum Blossom is seen as a symbol of Winter and a harbinger of Spring. They bloom most vibrantly during the winter season, spreading a fragrance noticeable even in the coldest time of the year. The Plum Blossom symbolizes perserverance, hope, beauty, purity and the transitions of life.

 

Ida has a design of the the Plum Plossom tattooed on her body to remind her to keep hope and seek growth and warmth like Spring, even during the coldest and darkest times of life.

ABOUT Plum Blossom Foundation

LUPUS IS ONE OF THE WORLD’S

 LEAST RECOGNIZED DISEASES.

Lupus (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus) is an autoimmune disorder in which the body's immune system mistakenly identifies its own healthy tissues as foreign substances and attacks them, causing inflammation and pain to its own healthy cells. Symptoms may be limited to the skin, but more often Lupus also causes internal problems. The damage that results from the disease is relatively unpredictable, cycling between flare-ups and periods of remission. In severe cases, it can damage the heart, kidneys, and other vital organs. Although the disease affects over five million people worldwide, commonly, few people know about it. Lupus is one of the world's least recognized major diseases.

what is lupus?

MY NAME IS IDA KOLADER

AND I HAVE LUPUS.

My name is Ida Kolader and I have Lupus. There are five million people worldwide battling this chronic, life threatening, autoimmune disease. It manifests very differently in every patient, and often goes misdiagnosed. In 2011, I started the Plum Blossom Foundation and became fully devoted to bringing awareness about Lupus and alternative healing methods. Our first creative project, a short film caled Flare*, told the story of how Lupus impacted my life. The title refers to the flares one experiences with Lupus, and the film shows my daily struggle with constant pain, chronic fatigue, paralysis and several near-death experiences. It elaborates on the emotional landscape that comes with illness, the insecurities, and the questions. I wanted to expose the misunderstanding from society about severe illnesses that may not have physical effect on one’s appearance. Lupus is one of those illnesses. I faced devastating frustration with hospitals, doctors, lab tests, drugs, as well as the constant IV inections and the long rides in the desperate search for the “right” therapy or “cure.” I am 35 years old. I was diagnosed with Lupus in 2003 and, in 2007, I had my worst flare. During my worst flare, Lupus attacked my heart, lungs, eyes, skin and even my nervous system. My life was at risk because all drugs recommended by doctors failed to work, and, in some cases, made the symptoms worse. I was eventually put on chemotherapy, a trial treatment for Lupus. I always felt I could relate to what most patients feel when dealing with a severe illness. We should not be insecure about expressing our impatience and disapointment with hospitals. With Flare, I wanted to tel a personal and intimate story that shows how we are merely suppressing our symptoms with drugs, and not treating the root of the illness. I had to take my life back. After 12 years of pain, frustration, and suffering, I was finally ready to take responsibility for my own health: I decided to boost my immune system by changing my diet and lifestyle. I spent two weeks in Italy learning all about the role of food in our lives and how the way we eat, and how what we eat affects our health. I spent three months in California, detoxing, alkalizing and restoring my body to its natural healthy state. These three months changed my life physically and spiritually. Not only did it bring me health freedom, it also brought me back to my own heart. I am aware of the person I am today without the stigma of Lupus, the drugs, the doctors, the lab tests and hospitals. It changed my body, my mind, and soul. I am finally experiencing a significant relief. I am better and healthier than ever, and, I have been completely off pharmaceutical meds for a year, the first time since I was diagnosed with Lupus in 2003. I am on the road to full remission and a normal healthy life. *Flare played at several different film festivals and wats an official selection for the African World Documentary, 
I Will Tell Film Festival, ZINEBI and Shortcutz Amsterdam.

who is ida?

"I HAD TO TAKE MY LIFE BACK."

By getting involved and supporting our cause, you can make a huge impact with a small action and help improve the day-to-day lives of many severely ill patients. Make a donation and change lives for the better. All funds will go directly to Plum Blossom Foundation and will be used for informational, educational and raising awareness purposes. Talk to neighbors, friends, co-workers and family. Old-fashioned word-of-mouth is the most effective campaign tactic of them all. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr. Add your voice! Like, Share and Retweet our stories. Clicking ‘Like’, ‘Share’ or ‘Retweet’ might not seem like much, but if that one click leads to some of your friends telling their friends, who tell their friends, who tell their friends, your small action can have a huge impact and it really makes a difference to us. We encourage everyone to get educated, spread awareness and get involved. Advocate for more effective, less invasive and drug-free healing. You have the power to change someone's life.

how you can help...

please donate + help us CHANGE LIVES FOR THE BETTER.

info@plumblussomfoundation.com

Plum Blossom Foundation

IBAN: NL51ABNA0476785391

BIC : ABNANL2A

creative projects

CREATIVE PROJECTS...

Overcome (2014)

Overcome is the second film about Ida Kolader who, in 2003, was diagnosed with an aggressive case of Lupus (SLE). After years of conventional medicine, personal strife and experimental trials of chemotherapy, Ida changed her life, recognizing her treatment was merely suppressing symptoms with drugs yet not treating the root of the illness.

"I had to take my life back. After 12 years of pain, frustration and suffering, I was finally ready to take responsibility for my own health; I decided to boost my immune system by changing my diet and lifestyle".


Watch on YouTube

Flare: Living with Lupus (2013)

An intimate look at the life of a Dutch-Surinamese woman named Ida, who suffers from a severe form of Lupus. In
this monochromatic short film, we meet Ida, and follow her through a day-to-day life. From long, tiring train rides seeking medical help, to the intimacies of her past, we get to see the relatively unknown disease and the effects of its affliction. Flare played at several different film festivals and was an official selection for the African World Documentary, I Will Tell Film Festival, ZINEBI and Shortcutz Amsterdam.  

Watch on YouTube

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