Why support the Arthritis Foundation?

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that there are over 50 million people in the United States diagnosed with arthritis, which is over one-fifth of the general population. Their estimate grows to 67 million, or one-quarter of the general population, by the year 2030. Arthritis is a disease that affects people of all demographics, including 300,000 children affected by chronic auto-immune diseases conditions. The CDC also estimates that roughly one-third of diagnosed cases of arthritis result in some form of limited mobility or disability and costs the US economy $128 billion annually.

As the nation’s leading cause of disability, arthritis causes unacceptable pain and robs one in every five adults and 300,000 children of living life to its fullest. The Arthritis Foundation (http://www.arthritis.org/) leads the way in helping people with arthritis live better today and create better tomorrows through new treatments, better access and, ultimately, cures. We do this by:

• Funding life-changing research that has restored mobility in patients for more than six decades
• Fighting for health care policies that improve the lives of the millions of Americans with arthritis
• Partnering with families to provide empowering programs and information

As the nation’s largest private funder of research, public health programs and advocacy on behalf of the 50 million Americans with this painful disease, the Arthritis Foundation aims to reduce the number of people suffering from arthritis-related physical activity limitations by 20 percent by 2030.

Meet our 2011 honorees

Shelly Spence – Team Arth-Riders

Shelly was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) when she was 14-years old. A native of Eastern Oregon, she recalls the disbelief that her family and friends shared immediately following her diagnosis. Most said she was “too young to have arthritis”, which remains a common misconception.

Now 30-years old, Shelly has been through an incredible journey. Her first treatments included daily doses of 22 pills. Even then, there were days when she couldn’t button a shirt, comb her hair or even walk. Fortunately, new treatments in the form of biologic therapies had just been released around the time of her diagnosis. Shelly recalls being able to close her fists in 2004, the first time she had done so in a decade, after six-months of treatment on a new medication.

Having been through the lowest of lows, Shelly now lives her life to the fullest. She joined our Joints in Motion training team in 1999 on her way to completing her first marathon. She’s since finished 10 and also did the Vancouver Girlfriends Half-Marathon with the Arthritis Foundation last year. Mountain climbing, skydiving, hiking, and traveling are among her favorite activities, but cycling has come to define her lifestyle. She started riding in 2005 and finished her first century (100-mile) ride the following year. She met her husband, Ben, through their mutual love of cycling. Their third date was a 40-mile ride and they’ve since rode the Seattle to Portland (STP) two-day event to celebrate her 30th birthday. This year, they plan on riding STP in ONE-day and will also be joining us for The Amgen People’s Coast Classic.

Shelly’s involvement with the Arthritis Foundation goes yet deeper. She’s been a volunteer camp counselor at our Washington and Oregon summer camps, which are free for children with arthritis and their families to attend. She’s also participated in our Bend or Portland Jingle Bell Run and Walk since 1998. Thanks Shelly!

Al Knopik – Team Brooklynn

We first met Al last year leading up to the inaugural People’s Coast Classic and began to hear about his incredible story. Al doesn’t remember a day where he didn’t wake up with the aches and pains of arthritis. Growing up on a farm meant that slowing down was never an option. Now 59, Al does his 40 mile round-trip commute three times a week, and hits the gym on the days he doesn’t ride. He finished the 150-mile Ride Around Mount Rainier in One Day (RAMROD) ride last year. Despite such meticulous attention to his health, Al has required partial replacements of both knees.

If you ask Al why he supports the Arthritis Foundation, he’ll tell you that it has little to do with himself. His sister, Connie, has lived with osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) for 35 years. Al recalls the days before RA when Connie and her husband Joe would dance the night away as others watched in admiration. The couple endured weekly commutes from Tri-Cities to Spokane for infusion treatments for her RA. Despite the inconvenience, treatment has allowed Connie and Joe to start dancing again for the first time in decades.

Al’s wife Barbara lives with multiple forms of arthritis, including severe OA that has required her to wear hand and finger splints to prevent them from deforming, and also fibromyalgia, an autoimmune disease. She’s recovering from a second full joint replacement surgery of the knee, having had the other knee replaced in 2005. She also shares his dedication to self-care and her physician says she is six-weeks ahead of typical recovery.

However, it’s Al’s granddaughter that most moves him to support our cause. Symptoms of juvenile arthritis (JA) began appearing when Brooklynn was an infant, but a diagnosis didn’t come until a severe flare-up the day before turning four-years old. That morning, Brooklynn woke up with a splitting headache. Doctors diagnosed her JA due to the inflammation it caused in her left eye, which had to be removed to prevent spreading of the condition to her other eye. Now 11-years old, Brooklynn continues to have flare-ups and pain. There are almost 300,000 children in the U.S. like Brooklynn that live with JA, many of whom have systemic JA that affects other organs besides joints.

Myth No. 1: Arthritis is an old-person’s disease

While the incidence of arthritis is much higher in older populations, there are millions of juveniles and young adults who live with auto-immune versions of arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, lupus, fibromyalgia, etc. CDC estimates show that juvenile arthritis affects one in every 250 children. There are currently no cures for these diseases. Scientists have an insufficient understanding of their causes, genetic or otherwise.

Even in the context of studying older populations, the questions still remain. Why are some people more prone to degenerative forms of arthritis than others? Can joint damage be significantly stopped or reversed?

Myth No. 2: Nothing can be done about arthritis pain

You may think that little can be done to help your arthritis, but this is not true. Some improvement in the pain and loss of function is possible in almost everyone with arthritis. Furthermore, the disease process that may lead to joint destructions can be controlled effectively in most people – particularly those with rheumatoid arthritis. More can be done today to ease the pain of arthritis and to slow joint destruction than ever before.

Many people with serious types of arthritis, which were severely disabling as recently as a generation ago, are now leading full and productive lives, thanks in part to many developments, including new drugs and treatments, exercise programs, surgeries and self-management. As a person with arthritis, your future is full of possibilities that were only a dream 25 years ago.