Raising awareness about childhood arthritis
Article content
Many people today know someone living with arthritis. That someone may be a child.
Today, there are approximately 60,000 Canadian children who also suffer from the debilitating disease, and nine-year old Maggie Sanders of Tillsonburg is one of them.
“People associate it with the elderly,” said Dan Knight, community engagement coordinator for the southwest region of the Arthritis Society.
“Our youngest patient is six months old - all the way up to people in their 80’s and 90’s. It’s a disease that affects everybody.”
Every March the Arthritis Society recognizes Childhood Arthritis Month, and highlights some important facts about the disease in children.
“Having Maggie in Tillsonburg was a great way to get Maggie’s story out there because there are other kids and even adults that are in this community that have this disease, and that might not know what we do - we’re here to help people.”
Maggie was recently chosen as the Arthritis Society’s Childhood Arthritis Month Hero in Tillsonburg and is sharing her story to help raise awareness about the disease.
“Maggie takes part in our services that we offer at the society, so it’s a great way to profile what we do and put a face to the disease as well,” added Knight.
Maggie’s parents, Tricia and Ted Sanders noticed something wasn’t right last May, but didn’t receive a confirmation and proper diagnosis until July 2012.
“She began limping,” said Tricia Sanders. “We were getting ready for soccer one evening and I went to put on her soccer shoe and her foot was swollen – out of nowhere.”
They took Maggie to see a doctor, who originally thought it was a sprained ankle or possibly a broken bone but it wasn’t until she was referred to a specialist – a Pediatric Rheumatologist last summer in London, that she was diagnosed with Juvenile, Rheumatoid Arthritis in her foot, knee and wrist.
Despite having to stop doing some of the things a young child her age enjoys, such as playing soccer and skating, the active nine-year old is learning to live with childhood arthritis, and deal with some of the daily challenges that she and other children with arthritis routinely face.
“She never complains - she’s a brave little girl and it hasn’t really stopped her from anything else,” said Tricia Sanders.
Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis can be difficult to diagnose, and there may be several tests and blood work needed before a proper diagnosis is made, as was the case with Sanders. Sadly, as with adults and seniors, children too often live in constant pain and inflammation of the joints in varying degrees.
“Some children have to go through a lot more than she does,” said Maggie's father, Ted Sanders. “When this all started we had to go through a series of tests and blood work. Now she has to have oral medication twice a day to deal with the inflammation, and to counteract the drug that she’s taking so her belly doesn’t feel sick (when taking the medication that helps her). Then once a week we have to take an injection at home, we have to give blood work regularly to make sure those levels are up and we had to have cortisone injections in all the joints,” he said.
Slowly, Maggie and her parents are working to control the disease and to return her back to where she was prior to the diagnosis, as much as possible so that Maggie can continue leading a full life. They are doing that with the help of the Arthritis Society, medications, physiotherapy and most importantly, the support and love from family and friends.
“It’s been good,” said Maggie Sanders of the support she’s received.
“My friend Reagan gave me a bear and I named it Icy to help me with my appointments.”
In addition, her classmates at South Ridge Public School have rallied behind Maggie to show her that she doesn’t have to go through this experience alone.
“They do my exercises at school in gym,” she added. “It makes me feel good.”
Maggie’s brother Joey, age 11, has also been very supportive and helpful, taking cod liver oil when his younger sister has to and keeps her preoccupied with videos and pictures on his Ipod during needle time.
Maggie was also given a charm bracelet that she is allowed to add to each time she must have a needle or blood work done. During the interview Maggie proudly showed off her beautiful bracelet with a current total of 30 charms.
In April, the Arthritis Society will be holding a two-hour pain management workshop for children with Arthritis.
“We offered the same program for adults and we figured that we needed something for kids,” said Knight. “We have 12 kids like Maggie participating on April 6, 2013 in London for the two hour workshop. It’s free for people to attend and it’s lead by volunteers that live with the disease.”
The Sanders appreciate what the Arthritis Society has done for Maggie and the support they have provided the entire family.
“It’s not just about the pain management, it’s about getting us and Maggie especially, in touch with other children that have the disease because they have that in common,” said Ted Sanders. “That’s another thing the Arthritis Society has offered us – a chance to talk with other families that have this. Talking to somebody makes a big difference.”
Knight spoke of the Arthritis Society’s important role for both adults and children.
“For the most part, people are going to be with it for most of their life,” said Knight. “That’s where the Arthritis Society comes in to teach adults and children how to self-manage the pain and live with it.”
For more information on childhood arthritis or the upcoming workshop, visit www.arthritis.ca