Carter’s Story
Carter was diagnosed with oligoarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis when he was 3 years old. He is the Youth Honoree for the Lake County Walk to Cure Arthritis.
Carter was barely 3 years old when his parents noticed swelling in his right knee. The swelling, along with Carter's requests to be carried up and down stairs on a regular basis, made his parents suspicious that something might be wrong. They feel lucky that two visits to their pediatrician led to an orthopedic consult and then a rheumatology consult at Lurie Children’s with Dr. Klein-Gitelman.
The quick diagnosis of oligoarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) was a blessing compared to some stories they had heard, but it was still a shock for them. Like most people, they didn’t really know anyone who had JIA or parents of a child with JIA. While on his medication, Carter has been able to do most of the normal activities he loves to do, like playing with trains, playing soccer and just running around with his friends.
The Arthritis Foundation was an incredible resource for the family. From the amazing amounts of educational materials to their first JA Family Day, the Arthritis Foundation has helped connect them to information, and more importantly, families that are experiencing the same difficult road. Supporting the Arthritis Foundation is important to them because they want more families to have better access to pediatric rheumatologists, better access to the right medications and better access to a network of families who understand.
They said Yes to Carter being the Youth Honoree for the 2019 Walk to Cure Arthritis so they could do their part in helping bring more awareness to juvenile arthritis and to show solidarity with everyone who is afflicted by any type of arthritis-related condition.
The quick diagnosis of oligoarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) was a blessing compared to some stories they had heard, but it was still a shock for them. Like most people, they didn’t really know anyone who had JIA or parents of a child with JIA. While on his medication, Carter has been able to do most of the normal activities he loves to do, like playing with trains, playing soccer and just running around with his friends.
The Arthritis Foundation was an incredible resource for the family. From the amazing amounts of educational materials to their first JA Family Day, the Arthritis Foundation has helped connect them to information, and more importantly, families that are experiencing the same difficult road. Supporting the Arthritis Foundation is important to them because they want more families to have better access to pediatric rheumatologists, better access to the right medications and better access to a network of families who understand.
They said Yes to Carter being the Youth Honoree for the 2019 Walk to Cure Arthritis so they could do their part in helping bring more awareness to juvenile arthritis and to show solidarity with everyone who is afflicted by any type of arthritis-related condition.