For Cassandra Calkins, arthritis and autoimmune disorders are an all too familiar threat that affects not only her, but also her family’s life. She comes from a dynasty of sufferers; a great-grandmother and grandfather with rheumatoid arthritis, an aunt with multiple sclerosis, and a mother with fibromyalgia. When she was diagnosed with juvenile psoriatic arthritis [...]
Mercy is five years old. She was diagnosed with rheumatoid factor-positive Polyarticular Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, a disease with the same aggressiveness as adult rheumatoid arthritis, putting her in a category that less than 5% of children diagnosed are in. Currently she is on a combination of Methotrexate and Enbrel biologics, the latter not working as [...]
For Kacee Andujar, battling arthritis has been a lifelong challenge, starting from when she was diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis at the tender age of 16 months. Since then, her struggle has been wrought with financial, emotional, and physical burdens that made her future look grim. A few years back, while on a trip to [...]
If you recall, last summer, Jean Flagler, a New York native, rode from her home in Perrysburg all the way to Oklahoma, to raise money for arthritis research – all on her Harley Davidson! We chronicled Jean’s journey as she cruised through the great American Midwest, stopping at Harley Davidson dealerships collecting donations, crossing the [...]
Mallory Walsh-Ruggiero was diagnosed with Polyarticular Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis and Uveitis at age 3. She is currently 27 and her arthritis is still active. While her juvenile arthritis has led to many trials and tribulations, it has also led her to her passion, photography. In her interview below she invites us into her life to [...]
If there is one word that can describe 18 year old Monica Jaeger, it would be: optimistic. Though she suffers from polyarticular juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (meaning all of her joints are affected) she is one of the most positive people living with the illness. She is currently a freshman in college studying to be a [...]
On August 23, 2011, at the age of 8 years old, Savannah was diagnosed with polyarticular juvenile arthritis (polyarticular means it affects five or more joints in the first six months of the disease) and Spondyloarthropathy (arthritis of both the joints and tendons). Just six days later, a Uveitis cell (arthritis in the eye) was [...]
For Britt J. Johnson, having arthritis means a simple errand to the grocery store can turn into a tedious, time consuming event that exhausts, hurts, and drains her. Johnson was officially diagnosed with Undifferentiated Spondyloarthropathy and rheumatoid arthritis at age 21, but has been living with autoimmune arthritis since age 7. She is now twenty-seven. [...]
Jon is Racing For A Cure at the Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon next month. He has psoriatic arthritis and his daughter has juvenile arthritis. This is their story as told by him. Living with arthritis poses a number of challenges. When this directly affects you, you can choose to individually work through your pain. Parenting [...]
Last week Kathleen Rodgers recounted her story of living as a kid with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) to an adult with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This week, read Part II of her interview to learn about her thoughts on arthritis research and her inspiring message. Part II At the Arthritis National Research Foundation we feel research [...]
