Arthritis Blog Home »
Stories of Yes Blog Home »
Tag Archives: juvenile arthritis awareness
Juvenile arthritis awareness is in high gear – with Juvenile Arthritis Awareness month and two JA Conferences being held between July and August, this is the perfect time for director Aisling Walsh’s movie “Maudie” to hit theaters in most major markets.
“Maudie,” based on the true story of Maud Lewis, follows Maudie’s debilitating experience with arthritis throughout her life. Set in 1937, the movie begins with Maudie painting flowers on a wall with great difficulty. Sally Hawkins’s portrayal of Maud Lewis shines, as she next contorts her body to seem very small as Maudie sits smoking on the porch of her shrewd Aunt Ida’s house (Aunt Ida is played by Gabrielle Rose). Upon learning that the house will go under construction, Maudie is quick to find an opportunity as a live-in maid in a tiny shack with a gruff man named Everett (played by Ethan Hawke). And though rocky at first, the optimist and the pessimist, both social outcasts in their respective ways, begin a relationship.
Continue reading “Maudie” Stuns and Inspires Audiences →
There are days when it’s impossible for 12-year-old Noah Jones to walk. Or feel like eating. Or doing anything else, for that matter. Then there are days when ‘impossible’ isn’t in Noah’s vocabulary. The days when the only thing he thinks about is getting on his BMX bicycle and riding with his friends, doing slides and jumps, wheelies and whips, twists and turns.
Continue reading Impossible? Not to Bicyclist Noah Jones, Who Won’t Let Arthritis Hold Him Back →
A grateful crowd cheered this morning as Jen and Keegan wheeled into Orlando for the Juvenile Arthritis Conference. This final ride marked the end of a 1,400-mile journey from New York City to Orlando by tandem bike.
“It was so wonderful to ride in with so many people cheering us on,” says Jen. “To have the kids who are attending the conference — some of them who have been following our journey all along — there supporting us we finished was symbolic of the meaning of our whole ride.” Continue reading 1,400 Miles for 300,000 Children – The Final Ride →
When Jen and Keegan took off down the east coast, they expected a few bumps and bruises. What they didn’t expect is all of the people in the juvenile arthritis (JA) community they would connect with along the way. On their 1,400-mile tandem bike ride from home in New York to the JA Conference in Orlando, Jen and Keegan have managed to connect with — and even stay with — several families who are in some way affected by JA.
“There’s so much about this disease that makes you feel alone in this world,” says Jen, who was diagnosed with JA when she was 11 months old. “To connect with and try to bring people together is the whole point of the trip in a way.”
Continue reading 1,400 Miles for 300,000 Children- Making Connections →
And, they’re off! This morning, Jen and her partner Keegan took off from Queens, N.Y. on their 1,400 mile tandem bike ride down the east coast. Their journey will take them to the Juvenile Arthritis Conference in Orlando. While Jen admits that the next 17 days are going to be quite the journey, at the forefront of her mind as the miles pass will be the 300,000 children who are on a journey of a different kind — juvenile arthritis (JA).
Diagnosed with JA when before she was even one year old, Jen has made a lot of friends in the JA community. There’s the 14-year-old who is a circus performer in spite of multiple jaw surgeries. There’s the friend who just celebrated her 21st birthday in the hospital due to complications from her JA. There’s the artist and cook extraordinaire who is dealing with severe uveitis. There’s the nine-year-old who’s already a well-seasoned arthritis advocate. There’s the team of brothers who both have JA, but still goof around just like all brothers do.
Continue reading 1,400 Miles for 300,000 Children – Jen and Keegan Hit the Road! →
Like many people, Jen Horonjeff is traveling this summer. Don’t look for her on any planes or trains, though. Jen is making the trip from New York City to Orlando — all on her bike.
Diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) when she was just 11 months old, Jen is finalizing plans to ride on a tandem bike with her partner from her home in New York City to the Arthritis Foundation’s Juvenile Arthritis Conference in Orlando. The trip, more than 1,400 miles, will take approximately 17 days.
Continue reading 1,400 miles for 300,000 Children : Jen Bikes Down the Coast to Juvenile Arthritis Conference →