Timothy Gerran-Davison

2009 Arthritis Walk Child Champion

Timothy Gerran-Davison is an energetic 7 year-old first grader at Friend Meeting School in Ijamsville, MD. Like so many other boys his age, Timothy's favorite activities include legos and sports, such as basketball, football and baseball. He is athletic, and if you ask him about his favorite subject, he will tell you it is gym class. With these answers, many people are surprised to know that Timothy struggles with arthritis, the sixth most common childhood disease still often referred to as an "old person's disease."

Pauciarticular juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) has impacted Timothy and his family in many unexpected ways. Before Timothy was correctly diagnosed and prescribed the right medication, he was sometimes in so much pain that he could not get up in the morning. "We saw lots of doctors and were told lots of things from 'it's just growing pains' to one doctor telling us 'there is nothing wrong, he just wants attention,' said Timothy's mom. "It took years before we finally got the diagnosis of juvenile arthritis." Even now during painful flare-ups Timothy cannot do many things boys his age take for granted such as writing and playing sports or video games.

Despite his challenging situation, Timothy remains a passionate, funny and bright boy. Shy at first, he opens up to reveal what many refer to as his "million dollar smile" and inquisitive and friendly personality. He also finds strength from his two heroes: "God is my hero, because he protects me, and my mommy is my hero, because she loves me and takes good care of me."

Most recently, Timothy was nominated as the 2009 DC Arthritis Walk Child Champion because of his bravery, positive attitude and dedication in controlling his arthritis at such a young age. On Saturday, May 30, 2009, Timothy will represent the 300,000 children nationwide with arthritis and will lead his team, the Green Dragons in the fight to raise money and spread awareness about juvenile arthritis so that no one will ever call arthritis "an old person's disease" again.

Information about Juvenile Arthritis

The lack of sufficient awareness about arthritis results in many myths surrounding the disease and patients, like Timothy, are the ones who ultimately, pay the price. Timothy is not alone in his struggle; with less than 200 rheumatologists nationwide, children and their families coping with juvenile arthritis often face the harsh reality that there are not enough doctors to diagnose and treat the disease.

There are 300,000 children nationwide diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and 5,000 of them reside in the metropolitan Washington DC area. As the 6th most common childhood disease, more children have arthritis than those with muscular dystrophy, cystic fibrosis and sickle cell combined.