Sarah's Story
Through all her years of struggling with rheumatoid arthritis, Sarah fell in love with and married Vince, had identical baby girls, and is expecting a baby boy in April.
Sarah is a lovely, kind, funny, strong woman with resilience that so many strive for. Soon after her birth, she began to have small febrile seizures. She cried much more than normal and seemed to never fully calm down or be soothed. Pediatricians couldn’t explain her irritability.
She didn’t move as easily as other babies and stayed on the laps of the adults she loved rather than attempt to crawl, which made her knees swell. After more than seven incorrect diagnoses, Sarah was finally diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) when she was 18 months old.
Instead of fevers and rashes, Sarah now received twice weekly IV infusions with steroids and strong anti-inflammatory medications. Under this treatment plan, Sarah thrived. She grew and started school. She made friends and had a funny, easygoing demeanor - even though she was never without pain. As her arthritis progressed, Sarah’s joints began to deteriorate. Her fingers and toes were affected first and began to curl and atrophy. Sarah has a great life marred by constant pain. Her life was never completely hers.
Through all her transformations, Sarah fell in love with Vince, and they will soon celebrate 10 years of marriage. Her military husband carries her when she has flares and can’t walk. Their marriage continues to grow. Most recently, he was deployed and Sarah ran the household proudly on her own. In 2014, she gave birth to identical baby girls, Harper and Tarynn. She and Vince are expecting a baby boy later this year.
She didn’t move as easily as other babies and stayed on the laps of the adults she loved rather than attempt to crawl, which made her knees swell. After more than seven incorrect diagnoses, Sarah was finally diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) when she was 18 months old.
Instead of fevers and rashes, Sarah now received twice weekly IV infusions with steroids and strong anti-inflammatory medications. Under this treatment plan, Sarah thrived. She grew and started school. She made friends and had a funny, easygoing demeanor - even though she was never without pain. As her arthritis progressed, Sarah’s joints began to deteriorate. Her fingers and toes were affected first and began to curl and atrophy. Sarah has a great life marred by constant pain. Her life was never completely hers.
Through all her transformations, Sarah fell in love with Vince, and they will soon celebrate 10 years of marriage. Her military husband carries her when she has flares and can’t walk. Their marriage continues to grow. Most recently, he was deployed and Sarah ran the household proudly on her own. In 2014, she gave birth to identical baby girls, Harper and Tarynn. She and Vince are expecting a baby boy later this year.