3rd Annual Arthritis Walk in West Bend : A young people's disease, too

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Arthritis Walk: A young people's disease, too

Parents knew something was wrong by the time girl was 18 months

This story appeared in The West Bend Daily News on September 18, 2006

http://www.gmtoday.com/news/local_stories/2006/Sept_06/09182006_06.asp

When Pamperin was born she seemed like a typical, healthy baby girl.

But by 18 months it was clear to her mother Barbara that something was

wrong.

" started having problems when she was 18 months, " said Barbara. " We

didn't know what was wrong; she couldn't tell us. She went from being an

active toddler to wanting to sit on the couch and watch movies. "

As time went on things only got worse.

" She started having problems walking, " said Barbara. " We took her to three

different pediatricians and they said she wasn't getting enough sleep, but I

didn't buy that. We took her to a chiropractor and he adjusted her and it

didn't make any difference. He said you need to take her to a pediatric

rheumatologist and we didn't know what that was. "

At 20 months was diagnosed as having juvenile rheumatoid arthritis,

one of 4,500 children in Wisconsin that have JRA or some form of arthritis.

The Pamperin family isn't alone. To raise awareness and money about

arthritis, more than 100 people participated in the 1- to 3-mile third

annual Arthritis Walk in West Bend Saturday morning, raising some $8,253.

" Rheumatoid and osteo-arthritis are the two (types of arthritis) that people

know most about, " said Schiller, community development specialist

for the Arthritis Foun-dation, Wisconsin chapter. " When they get rheumatoid

arthritis it attacks and deteriorates the joints. That's why they get

deformed or crippled hands and feet. "

Ruth is one such sufferer. She has had rheumatoid arthritis for the

last 20 years, and her gnarled hands are a testament to the pain she has

gone through. , who was being pushed in a wheelchair, said the walk

was a " fine idea. "

" I think it's great for the kids, " she said.

Luckily for , modern medical advances have stopped the arthritis

from getting worse.

" I take shots, and it stopped it from getting worse, " she said. " But the

pain is still there. "

and other sufferers of rheumatoid arthritis also take the same or

similar shots.

" Right now () is on methotextrate, " said Barbara. " She is injected

once a week. It's a cancer drug, and it actually suppresses the immune

system. Her own immune system is attacking the fluid in her joints. "

For , who is 11, and others like her, the injections seem to prevent

the arthritis from progressing, although flare-ups are still a problem.

" She can participate in physical education and stuff like any other kid, "

said Barbara. But when she has a flare-up, " she gets very sore. She has

problems getting up in the morning. (She has difficulty) putting on her

clothes, doing zippers, buttons, writing, walking. "

And the pain can be intense.

" Sometimes it makes her cry out when she's at the height of a flare, " said

Barbara. " But she's a trooper and she won't tell you if it hurts too much. "

Another JRA sufferer at the walk was Dittloff, 6, who is in first

grade at sport Elementary School.

" When we think of arthritis we think of old people, " said Meiel, a

teacher at 's school. " It's the reason we wanted to do this, to raise

awareness. "

Despite occasional arthritis pain, Pamperin is confident of her

future. She takes piano lessons, and said she thinks there will be a cure

for arthritis one day.

" I've been playing piano for a year, " she said, adding that she feels she

can do anything despite the arthritis.