Ethan's Story
Ethan is grateful the Arthritis Foundation supports him and other kids living with arthritis. “I don’t feel alone, and I’m glad that research is always being done to make my life better.”
Though he has always had special talents, Ethan Berkovitz was just a normal, active kid. He loved riding his bike, skateboarding and rollerblading. Most of all, he loved soccer and futsal, a type of indoor soccer. But at age 8, things once easy for Ethan became hard.
Ethan had pain in his legs, hands and wrists. He got fevers, couldn’t walk down stairs and started missing school a lot. To get answers, he endured many medical tests until being diagnosed with juvenile arthritis at the Cleveland Clinic.
Despite having 11 severely swollen joints, Ethan was focused on his favorite sports. All he cared about was trying out for travel soccer. His doctor encouraged him to stay active, and with his parents’ approval, he made the Solon Strikers.
For a long time, Ethan had wanted to play for the national U.S. Youth Futsal team. Last summer, he was honored to represent our country when the team competed in international playoffs in Costa Rica.
“When I was in pain, it was my passion for soccer and futsal that kept me going,” says Ethan.
Now 16 and a high school sophomore, Ethan tried several medications before success with his current biologic injection. He recalls being elated upon learning he no longer has any swollen joints. He hopes that one day he can go off his medicine and be in permanent remission.
Ethan and his family have engaged with the Arthritis Foundation in a big way. He was the youth honoree for Cleveland’s Walk to Cure Arthritis two years ago. Today, he’s a Junior Ambassador, working to advance a new federal law to attract more pediatric rheumatologists, who are in short supply nationwide.
Ethan is grateful the Arthritis Foundation supports him and other kids living with arthritis. “I don’t feel alone, and I’m glad that research is always being done to make my life better.”
Ethan had pain in his legs, hands and wrists. He got fevers, couldn’t walk down stairs and started missing school a lot. To get answers, he endured many medical tests until being diagnosed with juvenile arthritis at the Cleveland Clinic.
Despite having 11 severely swollen joints, Ethan was focused on his favorite sports. All he cared about was trying out for travel soccer. His doctor encouraged him to stay active, and with his parents’ approval, he made the Solon Strikers.
For a long time, Ethan had wanted to play for the national U.S. Youth Futsal team. Last summer, he was honored to represent our country when the team competed in international playoffs in Costa Rica.
“When I was in pain, it was my passion for soccer and futsal that kept me going,” says Ethan.
Now 16 and a high school sophomore, Ethan tried several medications before success with his current biologic injection. He recalls being elated upon learning he no longer has any swollen joints. He hopes that one day he can go off his medicine and be in permanent remission.
Ethan and his family have engaged with the Arthritis Foundation in a big way. He was the youth honoree for Cleveland’s Walk to Cure Arthritis two years ago. Today, he’s a Junior Ambassador, working to advance a new federal law to attract more pediatric rheumatologists, who are in short supply nationwide.
Ethan is grateful the Arthritis Foundation supports him and other kids living with arthritis. “I don’t feel alone, and I’m glad that research is always being done to make my life better.”