By: Jailyn Mitchell

There are over 300,000 kids diagnosed with Juvenile Arthritis, and I'm one of them

When people hear the word arthritis, it is often assumed to be an elderly person’s disease. However, arthritis affects millions of Americans every day. In this passion project, I would like to enlighten and bring awareness to those who struggle with Rheumatoid and Juvenile Arthritis, just like me.

Rheumatoid Arthritis affects over 1.3 million Americans, making up as much as 1% of our worldwide population. Unlike Osteoarthritis, a disease that deteriorates of the protective cartilage that cushions the ends of the bones commonly brought on by older age, Rheumatoid and Juvenile Arthritis are chronic autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. This means that your body’s immune system is attacking the healthy cells by mistake, causing inflammation (painful swelling) mainly in the joints. RA and JA commonly affect joints in the hands, wrists, and knees, however, in some patients, they can damage a wide variety of body systems including the skin, eyes, lungs, heart, and blood vessels. A few examples of their symptoms would be tender, warm and swollen joints, stiffness in the joints, and fatigue. The difference between JA and RA is their age groups. As suggested, juvenile implies that it is categorized for children under the age of 17, while rheumatic is for adults over the age of 17.

There are many risks factors that may increase your chance of rheumatoid arthritis including: gender, age, family history, environment and lifestyle.

Although there is no cure, plenty of people with arthritis achieve permanent remission, meaning that the disease is no longer active.

I was diagnosed as a teen and walking the thin line between JA and RA, however, children can be diagnosed with JA as young as pre-school age. Juvenile Arthritis can cause permanent physical damage to a child’s joints, leading to difficulties doing daily tasks such as walking or dressing. This can result in disability. JA should be diagnosed by a pediatric rheumatologist after a process of physical examination and review of symptoms, X-rays, and lab tests. However, there has not been any link to a cause of Juvenile Arthritis. JA comes in many different forms as well.

Here are the most common types of JA:

Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) is the most common form of JA and includes 6 different types

· Oligoarthritis

· Polyarthritis

· Systemic

· Enthesitis-related

· Juvenile Psoriatic Arthritis

· Undifferentiating

Juvenile Myositis is an autoimmune disease that causes muscle weakness with two types

· Juvenile Polymyositis

· Juvenile Dermatomyositis (also causes a rash on eyelids and knuckles)

Juvenile Lupus is an autoimmune disease that can affect joints, skin, internal organs (i.e. kidneys, heart, lungs), and other parts of the body

· Most common form is Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE)

Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain syndrome that can cause widespread muscle pain and stiffness (along with fatigue, disrupted sleep, etc.)

· More common in girls but rarely diagnosed before puberty

In late Summer of 2017, I volunteered to walk for a charity walk hosted by CHOC Children’s Hospital. While the walk started out in high energy, throughout the walk my body slowly began aching. I thought I had overworked my muscles or overexerted my energy. Gradually, the pain got worse and worse, so a friend offered me a pain pill. The pain radiated from my toes and ankles up to my shoulders and back. It was a pain, unlike anything I had ever felt. The pain pill was ineffective, and the pain had gotten so bad that by the time my mother decided it was time to go home, I could hardly walk or stand. This concerned my mom enough to schedule an appointment with my primary care doctor. At the beginning of the meeting, he was ready to write off my still lingering pain as generic muscle pain from overworking them. However, my mother’s intuition knew that what was happening to my body was not normal. After doing research before the appointment, she suggested the possibility of it being an autoimmune disease such as lupus or juvenile arthritis. You could see a light bulb come on above my doctor’s head as he connected the dots. After many blood tests, I was referred to a rheumatologist where I was formally diagnosed with Juvenile Polyarticular Arthritis. While it was a scary diagnosis as something I had never heard of, it was a relief just to have a diagnosis. With this information, I was able to start on an injectable medication almost immediately. While the rollercoaster of Juvenile Arthritis has not been the smoothest, I am currently in medicated remission, meaning that I have very low disease activity only while on medication. I am also following my dreams to be a photojournalist as a first-generation college student and have had the opportunity to work for Chaffey College’s student-run news source as the Culture Desk editor.

Along my arthritis journey has always been the great resources of the Arthritis Foundation. The Arthritis Foundation provides a plethora of information on arthritis, treatments, and much more. Each year, they host charity walks across the country to raise money for arthritis research. They also send thousands of children with JA and their families to a camp for chronic illnesses, The Painted Turtle, by sponsoring their trips, providing funding, and hiring well-trained rheumatologists. This camp is one of my favorite parts about having arthritis, because of the comfort and homeliness I feel while visiting. From the moment my mom and I had driven down the windy road lined with the rainbow flags, I knew that The Painted Turtle Camp would feel like a second home to me. I felt fearless doing the many adventurous activities provided including archery, horseback riding, rope climbing, and more. Even after I had reached the age limit as a camper, I followed up the next year to become a Leader in Training, where you learn how to become not only a leader at camp but a better leader in your everyday life.

Another contribution is the National Juvenile Arthritis Conference hosted twice a year in different cities, where you get the opportunity to network and gain more knowledge of JA. Through these programs like The Painted Turtle and the JA Conference, I have found some of my closest friends that I know I can count on. Having this support system has made having JA less of a bad diagnosis and more of an opportunity to advocate and bring awareness to it.

It has been a long journey, from experimenting with different arthritis medications to physical therapy. While it may sound strange to say, I am grateful for my diagnosis of Juvenile Arthritis. The people I have met, the places I have been, and the opportunities I have been given from this experience have been life-changing. Though times can get rough, I will always look back on the gifts arthritis has brought me and be proud to me advocate for the 1.3 million Americans struggling with Rheumatoid Arthritis and the 300,000 children affected by Juvenile Arthritis. I plan on wearing my support on my sleeve for as long as I can in order to spread awareness that kids get arthritis, too. I hope that as I get older, I can still continue my passion for Arthritis and finding a cure once and for all.

1 of 300,000 Kids