Thursday, October 29, 2009

Arthritis Isn’t Scary

This weekend families who are affected by Juvenile Arthritis (JA) came together to network with each other and to celebrate Halloween with “Arthritis Isn’t Scary.” Many of the 6,000 kids in Colorado and 300,000 in the US, who have been diagnosed with some form of JA are unable to enjoy activities like trick-or treating due to their disease and the pain it causes them. The Arthritis Foundation, Rocky Mountain Chapter holds “Arthritis Isn’t Scary” so that kids with JA can be kids by enjoying the games, haunted house and trick-or-treating at the event. Thank you to the 27 volunteers who made this event possible and to all the families who helped make this year’s “Arthritis Isn’t Scary” so much fun!

If you are interested in learning more about the Juvenile Arthritis Program at the Arthritis Foundation, please contact Isabelle Stohler at istohler@arthritis.org.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Bones aren’t only a Halloween decoration!

October can be such a beautiful time in Southern Colorado. The leaves are changing and the colors are so vibrant. October is also a time for health fairs and lectures.

Making the Connection, A Bone & Joint Event
Saturday, Oct. 24th, 7am to 1PM in Canon City at
St. Thomas More Hospital, Community Education Room
Please join us for a series of informative lectures on bone and joint
health, courtesy of St. Thomas More Hospital and the Arthritis
Foundation Rocky Mountain Chapter, Southern Colorado Office.
Topics discussed will be Better Nutrition for Bone & Joint Health, Joint replacement-before and after surgery; Inflammatory vs. Non-inflammatory Arthritis. Osteoporosis screenings will also be available. For more information, call (719) 285-2100 or (719) 520-5711.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Goals and Challenges

It seems that no matter where I am when I mention that I work for the Arthritis Foundation the comment is always “I have arthritis” or “I know someone who has arthritis”. Arthritis truly touches everyone. I think that is what makes working here so interesting. The need is so great; the work is truly important. We work through highs and lows, but we keep working. Some days the feeling is that we can meet this challenge – we can obtain our goals. Other days the question of success arises – can we really do this – does it really make a difference. Thankfully, those days are in the minority. We know that we will meet these challenges. We know that someday research will find the solution for these problems. In the meantime we are committed to making every penny count. We continue to give our energy, time and talents to raise funds for research and programs; to provide information; to raise awareness of arthritis; and to help enrich the lives and encourage those we serve. It truly is a rewarding time and place to be.