Arthritis Pain like a Big Red Monster -- 5-Year-Old Bailey, Juvenile Patient

CARING MATTERS
Published Thursday February 7th, 2008
Appeared on page C8

Five-year-old Bailey says of her juvenile arthritis, "I think my pain is a big red monster because my knee sometimes feels very sore like a monster is biting it, and it hurts." Devin, a 13-year-old with juvenile arthritis writes, "Imagine crawling to the breakfast table because you are too stiff to walk or crying because you are in pain after playing two innings of a baseball game."

Theirs are the stories of many children living with juvenile arthritis and are told in the support book, I am Brave.

Most of us can relate to a child's need for a hug or kiss to fix a hurt. When kids are in pain, adults feel the need to do what it takes to lessen that pain. But what if, as an adult, no matter how many hugs and kisses you gave, you just couldn't make the pain go away? That is the reality of children suffering juvenile arthritis. And there's many of them. One in every 1,000 children in Canada under 16 feels the pain, stiffness and disability of this chronic disease. It is more common than the relatively well-known childhood disorders cystic fibrosis and juvenile diabetes. It is not just an old person's disease, as is often thought.

The Arthritis Society, New Brunswick Division, is working to increase awareness of this disease, especially of juvenile arthritis. More than 129,000 people in our province have arthritis. For those with juvenile arthritis, diagnosis and treatments must be done at the IWK in Halifax as New Brunswick does not have a pediatric rheumatologist. There are more than 100 different types of arthritis. About 4.5 million Canadians older than 12 have arthritis with about 100,000 more diagnosed each year. That number is expected to rise to more than 6 million by 2026.

The pain and associated discomfort significantly reduces the quality of life of those with the disease, both young and old. And in rare cases, two in 100,000, arthritis is fatal. It can cause short and long-term disability and costs about $3.5 billion is disability costs. There is no cure, but early diagnosis can lead to effective pain management.

The mission of the Arthritis Society is "to search for the underlying causes and subsequent cures for arthritis, and to promote the best possible care and treatment for people with arthritis." Since it's inception in 1948, the Arthritis Society has invested more than $120 million in research.

The Arthritis Society offers programs for parents of children with juvenile arthritis as well as for adults with the disease. Programs include a self management program, chronic pain management seminars, healthy living, active living and a learning program geared to Grade 5 students. The society has an information line at 1-800-321-1433, a registry, educational print and video materials, a lending library as well as public forums and support groups located throughout the province.
Every March is Juvenile Arthritis month. The Arthritis Society runs a campaign called "Go Blue." Like paying to wear jeans to the office on casual Fridays, participants make a donation to the Arthritis Society in order to wear blue.

For details and more information contact the Arthritis Society at info@nb.arthritis.ca.
Cindy Sheppard is the Executive Director of the Fredericton Community Foundation.

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	Arthritis Pain like a Big Red Monster -- 5-Year-Old Bailey, Juvenile Patient CARING MATTERS Published Thursday February 7th, 2008 Appeared on page C8 Five-year-old Bailey says of her juvenile arthritis, "I think my pain is a big red monster because my knee sometimes feels very sore like a monster is biting it, and it hurts." Devin, a 13-year-old with juvenile arthritis writes, "Imagine crawling to the breakfast table because you are too stiff to walk or crying because you are in pain after playing two innings of a baseball game." Theirs are the stories of many children living with juvenile arthritis and are told in the support book, I am Brave. Most of us can relate to a child's need for a hug or kiss to fix a hurt. When kids are in pain, adults feel the need to do what it takes to lessen that pain. But what if, as an adult, no matter how many hugs and kisses you gave, you just couldn't make the pain go away? That is the reality of children suffering juvenile arthritis. And there's many of them. One in every 1,000 children in Canada under 16 feels the pain, stiffness and disability of this chronic disease. It is more common than the relatively well-known childhood disorders cystic fibrosis and juvenile diabetes. It is not just an old person's disease, as is often thought. The Arthritis Society, New Brunswick Division, is working to increase awareness of this disease, especially of juvenile arthritis. More than 129,000 people in our province have arthritis. For those with juvenile arthritis, diagnosis and treatments must be done at the IWK in Halifax as New Brunswick does not have a pediatric rheumatologist. There are more than 100 different types of arthritis. About 4.5 million Canadians older than 12 have arthritis with about 100,000 more diagnosed each year. That number is expected to rise to more than 6 million by 2026. The pain and associated discomfort significantly reduces the quality of life of those with the disease, both young and old. And in rare cases, two in 100,000, arthritis is fatal. It can cause short and long-term disability and costs about $3.5 billion is disability costs. There is no cure, but early diagnosis can lead to effective pain management. The mission of the Arthritis Society is "to search for the underlying causes and subsequent cures for arthritis, and to promote the best possible care and treatment for people with arthritis." Since it's inception in 1948, the Arthritis Society has invested more than $120 million in research. The Arthritis Society offers programs for parents of children with juvenile arthritis as well as for adults with the disease. Programs include a self management program, chronic pain management seminars, healthy living, active living and a learning program geared to Grade 5 students. The society has an information line at 1-800-321-1433, a registry, educational print and video materials, a lending library as well as public forums and support groups located throughout the province. Every March is Juvenile Arthritis month. The Arthritis Society runs a campaign called "Go Blue." Like paying to wear jeans to the office on casual Fridays, participants make a donation to the Arthritis Society in order to wear blue. For details and more information contact the Arthritis Society at info@nb.arthritis.ca. Cindy Sheppard is the Executive Director of the Fredericton Community Foundation.
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