2013 Central Texas
Arthritis Walk® Saturday, May 18
Carl Levin Park - Harker Heights
Registration 9am, Walk 10am
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Team Spotlight: Snap. Crackle & Pop
 Please meet Jenna Metcalf, age 26, who was diagnosed with Juvenile Arthritis at age 14.
When I was fourteen years old and played basketball at a youth club, my knees started really bothering me. My parents took me to the doctor and had scar tissue taken out, but the post surgical swelling in my knee never went away. After a couple of months and many tests later I was diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA).I learned that there was nothing I could do other than take medicine to help prevent the disease from getting worse and it took my rheumatologist eight months to regulate my medications. The first two years were difficult suffering from both the side effects of the meds, frequent doctor visits for blood tests and steroid injections and from the JRA itself. One of the hardest things was not being able to play sports anymore or to go hang out with my friends like all the other “normal” kids did. I just didn’t have the energy. JRA took over my whole life.
Through the years I have been on many different treatment plans. Some medications work well for a while and then don’t. I have been on an IL-6 drug that attacks the disease differently than any other drug. I also have been taking a chemotherapy drug every week for several years. I have a wonderful Rheumatologist who has been my doctor since my first diagnosis. If it wasn’t for her, and my amazing family, I don’t know how I would get through each day. There are many days I hurt so badly that I don’t even want to get out of bed, much less get up and go to work. Sometimes I feel like I want to give up because I’m so tired of having chronic pain that never seems to go away. However, I can’t freeze my life just because I have JRA and am in pain. Life still goes on and you learn to cope with it.
I have been dealing with JRA for twelve years. I take it one day at a time. I rely on my wonderful husband and my family a lot when I’m hurting and I will continue to count on the support of my husband, family, doctors and medicines to help me live my life as fully as possible. With your help we can help find a cure and more effective treatments for this disease and help many kids and adults live a more active and happy life. So until then I continue to live life day by day, one step at a time.
You can support Jenna and Snap, Crackle & Pop here.
Thank you for participating in the 2013 Central Texas Arthritis Walk, the signature fundraising event for the Arthritis Foundation. Every year, people across the country move together to celebrate those who are making a positive impact on the lives of people living with arthritis.
More than just an event, Arthritis Walk is a celebration of year-round movement. It is building awareness for this debilitating disease and raising necessary funds to drive arthritis research, education and life improvement programs; it also continues the Arthritis Foundation’s search to find a cure to the nation’s leading cause of disability.
2013 Faces of Arthritis
Arthritis is a life-changing disease and can affect anyone at any age. Pictured below are just a few of the 50 million faces of arthritis. Click the image below to read more about our 2013 Faces of Arthritis for the Central Texas Arthritis Walk.
Our Mission
Our mission is to improve lives through leadership in the prevention, control and cure of arthritis and related diseases. When you join us at the Arthritis Walk, you're not moving alone -- you are becoming part of a community looking to achieve better health and change lives at the same time. We look forward to seeing you at the Arthritis Walk!
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Join our online community on Facebook for all the latest information on the Arthritis Walk and the Arthritis Foundation Texas. Share your thoughts and stories about arthritis. We want to hear from you.
Contact Us
For more help or information about the Arthritis Walk, contact Rachel Martinez at rmartinez@arthritis.org or call 254/315-8509. |
