Tag Archives: JA

Shane Cox_Stories of Yes

No One Should Be in Debilitating Pain, Especially at 10 Years Old

Support the Arthritis Foundation and the 54 million Americans with arthritis.

Meet Shane Cox

When you meet Shane Cox of Petaluma, California, his quiet, calm demeanor gives little away about this young man. But whether he is speaking as an honoree at his local Jingle Bell Run or at the California Coast Classic, it’s easy to realize he has experienced more in his young life than most his age. Continue reading No One Should Be in Debilitating Pain, Especially at 10 Years Old

No One Should Be in Debilitating Pain, Especially at 8 Years Old

Support the Arthritis Foundation and the 54 million Americans with arthritis.

Meet Cassidy Middleton

Cassidy Middleton is a happy, thriving 8-year-old who has a loving affinity for Minnie Mouse and spending her days horseback riding in the warm, Tucson, Arizona, sun.

In December 2013, Cassidy was diagnosed with autism, and that’s when the Middleton family’s world changed. Most weeks were filled with therapists and appointments, and just when things started to settle down, Cassidy’s mother, Kari, noticed Cassidy was a “bit knock-kneed” and “walking funny” for a 3-year-old. After consulting with their pediatrician, who referred the family to a pediatric rheumatologist, Cassidy was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis (JA). Continue reading No One Should Be in Debilitating Pain, Especially at 8 Years Old

kate wingate jbr youth honoree

Kate Wingate, Jingle Bell Run National Youth Honoree

From Kate Wingate

My name is Kate Wingate and I’m from Greensboro, North Carolina. On the outside, I look like a normal 13-year-old girl, but I have juvenile arthritis (JA).  Arthritis is a disease that doesn’t present in a way that you might think, and unless I’m having a flare, no one would ever know.  I’ve had JA since I was 18-months-old, so I can’t remember what it feels like to not have pain in my joints.

Continue reading Kate Wingate, Jingle Bell Run National Youth Honoree

charcandrick west

Unstoppable: Charcandrick West’s Story

Charcandrick West has juvenile arthritis. Now he’s dodging tackles in the NFL.

It’s a scene fans of the Kansas City Chiefs football team know well: Charcandrick West crashes into a tackler, spins and breaks free, then shifts into high gear as he races downfield. Yet Charcandrick, now in his fourth season as a running back for the Chiefs, never forgets that he has faced a more challenging oppo­nent: systemic juvenile idiopathic arth­ritis (sJIA). It appeared at age 14, and symptoms became so severe that one doctor predicted the teen might never walk again, much less play football.

Continue reading Unstoppable: Charcandrick West’s Story

2017 Walk to Cure Arthritis National Youth Honoree Mariah

A Dream Come True – Meet Our 2017 National Youth Honoree Mariah Aquino-Truss

When Mariah Aquino-Truss was just five years old, she was in so much pain each day she told her mom, Tory, that she “didn’t want to be here anymore.” Imagine hearing such an admission from your young daughter who was newly diagnosed with a form of juvenile arthritis (JA) known as polyarticular spondyloarthropathy.

Polyarticular spondyloarthropathy is a juvenile form of ankylosing spondylitis, a chronic, long term disease that affects the joints, ligaments, tendons and entheses. Shocked, saddened and ferociously determined to help Mariah and her family, Tory set out to find help – a road that led her to the Arthritis Foundation.
Continue reading A Dream Come True – Meet Our 2017 National Youth Honoree Mariah Aquino-Truss

Amy and Kylie McCormick

Champions of Yes: Amy and Kylie McCormick Form a Dynamic Duo to Tackle Juvenile Arthritis

When you meet Amy McCormick and her daughter, Kylie, of Hauppauge, New York, you instantly feel as though you’ve known them for years. They both consistently greet you with warm smiles and joyful hellos, chatting about their love of Hamilton, the arts and their newly adopted rescue puppy named Autumn.
Continue reading Champions of Yes: Amy and Kylie McCormick Form a Dynamic Duo to Tackle Juvenile Arthritis

Meaghan Victory Nursing Career

Champion of Yes: Meaghan Victory Uses Patient Experience to Propel Nursing Career Dreams

Meaghan Victory grew up in an active family that spent their summers camping and hiking, and winters in the snowy mountains next to their Issaquah, Washington home.

When she was around eight years old, Meaghan was involved in a sledding accident and sprained her right wrist. For six months after the accident, the pain in her wrist never went away. While on vacation in the summer, her mother was putting sunscreen on her arm and noticed Meaghan in significant pain. Unsure of what was going on, her pediatrician referred Meaghan to Seattle Children’s Hospital where she was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis at the young age of nine years old.
Continue reading Champion of Yes: Meaghan Victory Uses Patient Experience to Propel Nursing Career Dreams

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Expanding their Village: Carson and the Arthritis Foundation

The saying goes that it takes a village to raise a child. Chrissy Rose had always known that statement was true, but when her toddler son, Carson, was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis (JA) at 15 months, she felt it even more acutely.

“We hardly understood that our child could have arthritis, let alone knew anyone else who was dealing with it,” recalls Chrissy. “We were a little lost.”

After moving from Ohio to Indiana far away from most of their family and friends, the Roses connected with their local Arthritis Foundation in Indianapolis. While they formed a small team for their first event– the Indy Walk to Cure Arthritis — they found inspiration to expand their team and fundraising efforts for the next year’s walk.

Continue reading Expanding their Village: Carson and the Arthritis Foundation

Juvenile Arthritis Pain Carson Rose

When Being a Child Hurts: Even Medicine Can’t Make it All Better

Carson Rose Juvenile Arthritis PainLike a lot of three year olds, Carson is still working on his “th” sound,” so it should come as no surprise that when he talks about arthritis, it sounds more like “arfritis.” What is surprising is that he has to talk about arthritis at all.

Diagnosed with juvenile arthritis (JA) when he was just 15 months old, Carson is just one of nearly 300,000 children who have JA. Carson’s arthritis is polyarticular, which means it affects five or more joints. While Carson initially struggled mostly in his knees, he also has limited mobility and increased pain in his wrists. While you’d think that pain would be a clear indicator of arthritis, for Carson and thousands of other children, getting a diagnosis was not that simple. The myth that arthritis is only for older people persists.

Continue reading When Being a Child Hurts: Even Medicine Can’t Make it All Better