Juvenile Arthritis
Juvenile Arthritis Kids and Family Program
Join us for Winter Family Fun Day! Register Now!
Saturday January 23, 2010
12pm – 3pm
Fitness Formula Center
1114 West Lake St
Oak Park, IL
Check in will be from 12pm – 12:30pm. Bring your appetite! A pizza lunch will be served from 12:30 – 1pm.
Get ready for an afternoon full of activities, which includes rock climbing, swimming and gym activities! This is a free family event. To register call 312-372-2080 or register online at www.arthritis.org. Please contact Jazzmin McKay at 312-372-3080 x13 with questions. We look forward to seeing you there!
Hey Camp Jammers!
Ready for some jingling fun this holiday season? Looking to reconnect with the other Camp J.A.M. kids? Come to this year's Jingle Bell Run. There is one near you, and each event has a Camp J.A.M. Hero. Find an event near you!
December 5, 2009 Chicago, IL Join Katie Cozza's Team Holly Jolly Camp Jammers!
December 5, 2009 Toledo, OH
December 12, 2009 Plainfield, IL
December 13, 2009 Hammond, IN
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2010 Juvenile Arthritis Conference – Dates and Location Have Been Confirmed
We are excited to announce that the dates have been set for the 2010 National JA Conference in Philadelphia. The conference will be held July 29 - August 1, 2010 at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown. Thank you to the Northeast Region for hosting this event. Look for updates coming soon.
2009 Juvenile Arthritis Conference was a huge success!
Read the letters from the brother and sister Chicagoland duo who attended this year's conference:
"Hi, my name is Chris Chopp. I’m just a regular thirteen-year-old boy. This year I went to my first JA conference. I myself don’t have JA, but my sister, Nicole does. She is fourteen and has had JA since she was seven. She doesn’t have JA in just one part of her body. She feels the pains of JA all over. She even got a cataract and had to have surgery because of her JA.
Going to this JA conference was an incredible experience for all of us. Whenever I tell someone that Nicole has JA, they all say the same thing - 'kids don’t get arthritis'. And then they treat her like she’s different. I tell them that kids do get JA and they don’t like getting treated differently, but before the conference, I honestly didn’t know any other kids that have JA, or kids that have brothers or sisters with JA. Going to the conference helped change that. I met a lot of kids that have JA that I got to be pretty good friends with. They are the same as kids without arthritis and fun to be with."
"Hi, my name is Nicole Chopp, I am fourteen and have Juvenile Arthritis. I have had this disease since I was seven years old, but was not properly diagnosed until February of 2008. I do not have arthritis pain in just one joint either; I feel it in almost all of the joints in my body. Also, due to my arthritis, I have uveitis, which is very rare, in my right eye. I have had cataract surgery in my right eye because of my uveitis. Having this disease has been difficult for my family, my friends, and me but this conference has changed it all.
When my family and I first heard about the Arthritis Conference that would be held in Texas this year, I was immediately thrilled. The chance to finally meet kids with arthritis was too much to comprehend. Even though I am told time and time again that I am not the only teen with arthritis, I still feel like I am alone.
When I heard our family had won the scholarship, I was excited and overjoyed. I was going to Texas to meet teens with arthritis! It means so much to me that the arthritis foundation chose ME to go to the conference."
Camp JAM 2009 – A Fun, Filled Weekend!
The Arthritis Foundation hosted its fourteenth annual Gertrude and Harry G. Fins Camp Juvenile Arthritis and Me (JAM) July 16 – 19, 2009 at Covenant Harbor in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. This weekend retreat is for children ages 8 – 17 with any form of rheumatic disease including juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, lupus and juvenile dematomyositis.
Approximately 40 campers, 15 counselors and 2 nurses participated in Camp JAM 2009. Campers participated in a number of activities including swimming, tower climbing & zip line, canoeing, archery, high ropes course, the giant swing and much, much more!.jpg)
View more pictures from Camp JAM 2009
Parents/Campers: If you would like more information on attending Camp JAM 2010, please contact Jazzmin McKay at (312) 372-2080 x 13 or jazzminturner@arthritis.org.
Volunteers: If you would like to become a counselor for Camp JAM 2010 or become a one-day volunteer, please contact Jazzmin McKay at (312) 372-2080 x 13 or jazzminturner@arthritis.org.
JA Book Release
The Arthritis Foundation announces the publication of a new book for parents of children with juvenile arthritis (JA). Released in conjunction with Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month in July, the all-new Raising a Child with Arthritis addresses many of the concerns parents have about JA – from diagnosis and treatments to family and financial issues.
From the editors of the Arthritis Foundation’s Kids Get Arthritis Too award-winning national newsletter, the book is written in easy to understand terms and offers solutions for the challenges parents face when their child has arthritis. Raising a Child with Arthritis provides facts about various types of JA and information about new treatments such as biologic drugs, while also providing practical information on giving shots, navigating the education system, coping with flares and managing daily activities without pain. In addition, parents and young adults who grew up with the disease share their experiences and tips for success throughout the book.
To order a copy of Raising a Child with Arthritis or for more information about Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month activities, visit www.arthritis.org/ja-information.
Nationwide Pen-Pal Program
Children will be paired up with another girl or boy with arthritis. Fill out the registration form and fax it to (312) 372-2081 or mail to 29 E. Madison, Suite 500, Chicago, IL 60602.
Read Kids Get Arthritis Too newsletter.
Juvenile Arthritis News
Old Person's Arthritis Afflicts Thousands of Kids. The article appears in USA Today and is the second of a two-part series on juvenile arthritis arranged by the Arthritis Foundation.
Learn more about Juvenile Arthritis
Thank you for attending Family Fun Day 2009!
