Northern California
Arthritis Foundation
Arthritis Walk Honorees
San Francisco Arthritis Walk Honoree
Monica Cianci is 16 years old and lives with her mom, dad, and younger brother. She was diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis when she was 9 years old. Monica explains that the hardest part about having an impairing disease at a young age is figuring out how to tell people that she can only do some things to a limited extent. As Monica got older, it became easier for her to tell people about her JRA. Monica does not see her arthritis as a weakness, but as something that she can share with people to help them become more aware of the disease. Today, one of the activities Monica enjoys is yoga. Yoga is a good way for her to exercise at a comfortable level that does not put a lot of stress on her joints. Monica?s JRA is in remission right now and she hopes that it will stay that way for a long time.
Monica and her family will be participating in the 2008 Arthritis Walk in San Francisco. Join Monica and hundreds of thousands of Arthritis Foundation supporters across the country and Walk for A Cure.
San Jose Arthritis Walk Honoree
Jimmy Garcia is 8 years old and lives in San Jose with his mom, dad and sister. He is in third grade and his favorite subject is math. He has been living with systemic JRA for 5 years now, but tries not to let it get the best of him. When not at school, he would rather be outside playing football, basketball, or fishing. His favorite sport though is baseball. He loves playing pitcher and catcher for his team. Some of his other interests are listening to music and going camping. There are days when Jimmy doesn't feel well enough to participate in all of the things he enjoys, but fortunately those days are few and far between. His biggest hope is that someday there will be a cure for him and all the rest of the kids who suffer from JRA and he hopes that the time for that will be soon!
Jimmy and his family will be participating in the 2008 Arthritis Walk in San Jose. Join Jimmy's family and hundreds of thousands of Arthritis Foundation supporters across the country and Walk for A Cure.
Tri-Valley Arthritis Walk Honoree
This year's Honoree for the Tri Valley Arthritis Walk is Jay Henrikson. Jay is currently a senior at Athenian High School. He will be attending Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusettes in the fall where he has been offered the Non Satis Sicre Scholarship for outstanding academic achievement and the capacity to pursue original work and interest in improving the lives of others. At Hampshire, Jay will be studying Cognitive Sciences in an effort to better understand Schizophrenia and research possible management medications. Jay was diagnosed with JRA at the age of 13. While occasional flare-ups still occur, he is able to live relatively pain free most of the time thanks to the new generation of medicines and help from the Arthritis Center of Pleasanton.
Jay and his family will be participating in the 2008 Arthritis Walk in Livermore. Join Jay and hundreds of thousands of Arthritis Foundation supporters across the country and Walk for A Cure.
