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.

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.

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.

What is the message?

There are some days when the job I have, and the work I do, becomes even more meaningful than the day before…

I try to talk with my mom every evening – she’s lives near Washington, D.C. and I usually only see her at the holiday’s. We almost lost her last year due to a serious infection and connecting with her has become a really important part of my day. She started seeing a rheumatologist late last year (after lots of nagging from me!) and has been getting what she feels to be good treatment, advice and support for her osteoarthritis. She’s got a pretty aggressive form of OA, so aggressive that other doctors she sees (cardiologist was the latest) question whether she really has OA or RA. She’s been tested for RA two different times, but each time it came back negative. She was pretty uncomfortable and worn out last night from just her regular, daily activities, and it made me think: what if she really DOES have RA, and we just don’t know it yet? The disease is so complicated and different for different people, is it possible that she’s received two false negatives? And if not, what other treatments are available for her OA so that she doesn’t have to deal with so much pain and fatigue? I’m comforted by and convinced that there are a lot of smart people out there conducting important research on how to prevent – control – and cure – arthritis.

There are a lot of people out there who aren’t aware of the impact of arthritis, the number of people affected, and the work that remains to be done. My job is to give them that message. Time to get back to work…

Fall is coming

Summer moving into fall – getting ready for all growing things to slow down. This does not pertain to us humans who are still growing, We need to keep moving our muscles and bones on a daily basis. Things at the Arthritis Foundation are continuing to grow with new programs and new opportunities to help all of us who have any tie to arthritis or any of its affects. I just built a storage shed, which will force me to look at all the items currently in the garage to see what really needs to be kept and what can be recycled. This will be a great project to complete before winter gets here. Keep focused on what is ahead and we will do the same at our office also.

Jingle Bells...

Come Jingle With Us this December as we host our annual Jingle Bell Run in Denver and Northern Colorado. The Jingle Bell Run is an annual traditional for many of our constituents and we hope that you’ll join us for this festive 5-k USA Track & Field certified running race and Bolder Boulder qualifier! We’ll be jingling first in Ft. Collins on Saturday, December 5, 2009 at CSU’s Oval Drive and in Denver the following weekend on Sunday,, December 13, 2009 in Denver’s Beautiful Washington Park! Register online for the Ft. Collins event or for the Denver event and begin fundraising today! Every dollar raised helps the Arthritis Foundation Rocky Mountain Chapter continue our work to improve lives through leadership in the prevention, control and cure of arthritis and related diseases. Contact Tara Roesener, Director of Event Development for the Rocky Mountain Chapter with any questions, ideas or great fundraising stories!

Juvenile Arthritis Family Day Survey Results

This past weekend we hosted our 3rd Annual JA Family Day at National Jewish Hospital. We asked the kids what they thought of the day of events, and these were their responses:

1) Did you meet anyone new today?

Yes= 12 no=3 maybe=1



2) Did you learn anything new about arthritis?

yes=11 no=5

"it causes soreness"

"there are different types and different medicines"

"It's dangerous because it can make your ankle hurt and then you can fall down"

"Different kids get it"



3) Would you come again next year?

yes=14 maybe=2

"If it's OK with my mom and dad"



4) How can we make it better next year?

"Make the pool less hot"

"Have a different theme"

"Do more activities, more fun things"

"more crafts--just like this year"

"cake and ice cream"

"Have another theme. The future: robots and laser guns. The pointer would look like a laser gun, but really it

would be a pointer."

"Have music"

"More time in the pool."



Overall, a GREAT event. Can’t wait till next year!

Isabelle Stohler
Programs Manager, Rocky Mountain Chapter