Traci Martin purchased her first kayak in 1999. She has always had a love for the outdoors and being physically active and enjoyed kayaking for fun. In 2009, not long after she began competitive kayak races, Traci started experiencing symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and was formally diagnosed with RA in 2010. Now, just seven years after her diagnosis, Traci will set off on a journey to kayak 8,600 miles and break the world record for longest solo kayak journey. Continue reading Woman with Rheumatoid Arthritis to Attempt World Record by Kayaking over 8,000 Miles→
Just over two years ago, at the age of 24, Katelynd Park was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It was a devastating blow. She remembers thinking, how could someone so young and healthy be diagnosed with this debilitating disease? Katelynd has come a long way since her diagnosis. She is preparing to run the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, her first marathon, as part of the Arthritis Foundation team on October 8. She plans on showing others, and herself, that RA will not keep her from living her life. Continue reading From RA to Running a Marathon – Katelynd Park is Committed to Supporting the Fight for a Cure→
The Arthritis Foundation is truly fortunate to have a network of dedicated volunteers, engaged constituents and committed board leaders helping us move our mission forward. Today’s spotlight focuses on someone very special to the foundation that is all three of those things. Debra R. Lappin, JD is a former national chair of the Arthritis Foundation and is currently a patient advocate volunteering on our behalf with the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Accelerating Medicines Partnership. How Debra came to be involved with the Arthritis Foundation is quite the story – Continue reading Spotlight on Debra Lappin – Patient, Advocate & Volunteer→
This summer at the 2016 National Juvenile Arthritis Conferences, a charismatic young man proudly wearing a bright orange University of Florida Gators shirt walks briskly and with purpose throughout the conference areas. As he turns the corner, you can see the back of his shirt reads something unexpected. It’s not a last name like you might normally see on a Gators shirt – but the words “Parker’s Brother”, clear as day. Continue reading Super Siblings Play An Important Role for Their Families→
You would never know by watching Kyle Elmore’s backhand shot that the 14-year-old athlete from Iowa has polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Kyle was diagnosed with JIA two years ago, but he decided that he was not going to let arthritis stop him from doing what he loves.
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→
Until last summer, Ellie Pruitt was your typical little girl who loved to swing, draw with chalk on the driveway and feed the fish and turtles in the pond at the back of her house in Canton, Georgia, a suburb north of Atlanta. She was funny, smart and especially witty for a soon-to-be 4-year-old (and soon-to-be big sister).
But almost a year ago, Ellie started complaining about her legs hurting all the time and feeling tired. She started playing with her toys at the kitchen table because it was too painful to play on the floor. She couldn’t sit with her legs and feet crossed, unable to bend her knees 90 degrees. Her parents thought it might just be growing pains. Continue reading Meet the Pruitts, Warriors Against Juvenile Arthritis: “We’ve got to be upbeat and positive”→
Her journey with arthritis began as a 21-year-old college student. One morning, April N. West woke up feeling like she had exercised vigorously the day before. The pain in her ankles, knees and hips was unbearable. Then without health insurance, she relied on over-the-counter medication for relief, but the pain didn’t go away.
While visiting family in Florida, April remembers coughing so profusely that she had to rest on their couch the entire time. At that point, she knew something was seriously wrong – and soon found herself hospitalized. After much deliberation, her doctors all agreed that an autoimmune illness was causing her body to attack her joints and vital organs, including her lungs. Continue reading Quest-4-West: National Walk Honoree Doesn’t Let Arthritis Slow Her Down→
If you think how far we’ve come in treating children with arthritis over the past two decades is nothing short of miraculous, get ready for some spectacular new discoveries in the not too distant future. That’s what Dr. Yukiko Kimura firmly believes – and she should know, since she’s been on the front lines of treating juvenile arthritis (JA) and other childhood rheumatic diseases for more than 25 years.
Dr. Kimura is the chief of pediatric rheumatology at the Joseph Sanzari Children’s Hospital at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey. She earned her MD from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York and did her pediatric rheumatology fellowship at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in NYC. The Arthritis Foundation supported her early training with a fellowship research award. Continue reading Walk to Cure Arthritis: From Small Steps to Giant Breakthroughs→