Arthritis Walk
Second Annual Greater Springfield Area Arthritis Walk will take place Oct. 15
By Kathleen P. Foster, Special to Reminder Publications
Debbi Hirshfield bubbles into a situation with enthusiasm and energy, and with expectations of good things. Even when she feels fatigued, or the aches and pains of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are at their worst, Hirshfield puts her best foot forward.
Diagnosed one month shy of her 55th birthday, her first worry was how much it would impact her work as a schoolteacher, piano instructor, and photographer. Not much, she decided.
"RA could have detracted from my life. I decided it would give me that extra push that all of us sometimes need to approach what we want to accomplish in life," she said.
It is this enthusiasm that makes her the perfect person to help represent the millions of people in the United States who suffer from arthritis. Hirshfield serves as the Publicity Chair of the Second Annual Greater Springfield Area Arthritis Walk which will take place on October 15 this year in Forest Park, Springfield.
Reminder Publications is a sponsor of the event.
In the United States, 66 million adults and 300,000 children are diagnosed with some type of arthritis. In Massachusetts alone, 1.5 million adults and 3,000 children suffer from arthritis according to the Arthritis Foundation.
Arthritis is not just one disease; it actually refers to more than 100 different types. It includes osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, pseudo gout, ankylosing spondylitis, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA), systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus), and scleroderma. These diseases effect joints, connective tissue, muscles, the spine, and cause symptoms that include joint and muscle pain, loss of movement, and fatigue.
Many people think that you only get arthritis when you are older. But just like arthritis is not one disease, it has not one face. A person may be diagnosed with arthritis when they are seventy, when they're fifty, thirty, and even before their first birthday.
Holly Allen has been suffering with arthritis symptoms since she was just months old. At eight months, after numerous doctors and tests, she was diagnosed with systemic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA), which affects the whole body. For Allen, it has meant years of medications, treatments, and hospitalization. Now twelve, she is quite active, engaging in sports that she loves. Her participation can sometimes lead to a couple days of bed rest, or worse, a broken bone.
According to Allen, "Sometimes arthritis just kicks my butt!" and warming the bench is not her favorite thing to do.
Allen and her co-ambassador, Nathan Barron, will serve as Junior Ambassadors of this year's Greater Springfield Area Arthritis Walk.
Barron was diagnosed with JRA at the age of seven, after many doctors, examinations and a lot of lab work. He is twelve years old and he likes to skateboard, ride his bicycle, and swim. He also tires easily and has pain. He would like to be on the football team, but it's too risky. What Barron wants more than anything else, is to just be a "regular kid."
There is no single treatment for the many types of arthritis. Often medications used to treat the symptoms of arthritis were developed for other diseases like cancer.
"Just as there are many types of arthritis, there are many different treatments available," said Gale Mason, Nurse Practitioner at the Arthritis Treatment Center in Springfield. "Medications are important and, in the case of inflammatory types of arthritis like RA, are critical to prevent joint damage. But treatment also includes other traditional and non-traditional approaches including the use of physical and/or occupational therapy, massage therapy, acupuncture, etc., which enable people to live an active life." Treatments do not cure, but do give relief from joint pain and swelling so those who live with arthritis are able to participate in the activities they enjoy.
Carol Parella, who is serving as the Senior Ambassador for this year's walk is hard to catch up with. At 64, she keeps fit with exercise, and not the typical stretching and strengthening classes.
Parella, who has generalized osteoarthritis (OA), recently took up tap dancing! In her late forties her hands and fingers were affected by OA and it gradually consumed all of the joints in her body. But she is determined to go on and stay active despite this crippling disease. As the mother of three and grandmother of six, she has a busy life.
"Although I may have bad days, it is critical for me to keep busy and to continue with my activities as this helps me to stay as limber as possible," said Parella. "I am aware of my limitations but I don't let it stop me from living my life to its fullest." Her hope is that in the near future there will be safer medications and someday a cure.
The Greater Springfield Area Arthritis Walk takes place in Forest Park, Springfield on October 15, 2006. According to information provided by the Massachusetts Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation, eighty percent of the money raised in this annual fundraiser goes toward program services and research. Mary A. Martin, Director of Special Events, said, "This walk means a lot more than raising money for research; it gives us an opportunity to educate the public, and honor the people who have this disease."
The Arthritis Foundation programs include support groups that help arthritis sufferers and their families deal with the day to day struggles and to have a better understanding of how this disease affects everyone in the home. For more information on this event, call 617-558-7686, or e-mail www.GSAWalk.kintera.org.
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