Juvenile arthritis not stopping one 7th grader from life on varsity squad

April 22, 2010

Updated: Apr 14, 2010 12:01 PM HST

GOOSE CREEK, SC (WCSC) - It may begin with a swollen knuckle, a spiking

fever, or an unexplainable rash, but no matter what symptoms appear, hearing

the word " arthritis " in a diagnosis for a child can be unexpected and

confusing. That's what happened for Windham and her mother Kathy.

Just after she learned to walk, Windham's knee swelled and she began

limping. After a trip to MUSC, she was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis, a

condition that affects nearly 300,000 children in the U.S. Arthritis can be

short-term - lasting for just a few weeks or months, then going away

forever - or it can be chronic and last for months or years. In rare cases,

it can last a lifetime. For the seventh grader, it has been with her ever

since.

" The toughest thing she went through was the pain, trying to walk and the

swelling, " said Mrs. Windham.

Dr. Rick Silver, the director of rheumatology at MUSC, diagnosed Windham and

has been her doctor ever since. " That's the way it often presents itself in

a toddler, they have a limp or refuse to walk, " said Dr. Silver.

Silver says having to adapt to the arthritis and the pain it causes has

molded Windham's personality. As a result, she's a member of the Summerville

varsity softball team, a team comprised primarily of high school juniors and

seniors.

Windham, who is currently a seventh grader at Rollings Middle School, said

she was surprised when she was named to the team. " When we got the list it

was all 11th and 12th graders. Then there was me, " she said.

" She plays on both teams and has the talent to play on the varsity level, "

said Greenwave Manager Tucker.

Tucker knew Windham had talent from the first time she saw her play. " When

she came out she didn't let us down at all. We were impressed with her

play, " said Tucker.

Compared to the hardships imposed on her with her battles with arthritis,

making the Summerville High varsity team seemed easy. While she has battled

through the pain and managed to incorporate a sport she loves, every day is

not easy, even when the arthritis is in remission.

" I have to come out of the game because there is just too much pain, " said

Windham. " But I'm not going to let something this big stop me. "

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