Alex's Journey: World Arthritis Day

Well, today is World Arthritis Day! In the past I would see such days as World AIDS Day or Diabetes Awareness Day. There would always be some ribbon associated with it. You know the ribbon that is a different color depending on what the illness is. Well, for the first time ever I get it! I really get it. It doesn't matter what the color is but what it represents. The fact that we all put on a certain color doesn't matter.....it's the fact that we had to consciously think about Arthritis while we were putting it on.

If you read other blogs like mine you have read others complain about how Arthritis kinda gets the shaft. It's not that we don't feel like Breast Cancer Awareness, Cystic Fibrosis or AIDS is important....it is but we would like to be heard too. In a weird way, arthritis isn't as popular as other diseases out there. Lets face it....when have you ever seen a well known super star on a talk show in tears talking about their loved one with arthritis. Or watched a three minute commercial that brought you to tears because it reminded you of an important woman in your life that you have lost. Plain and simple people just don't talk about arthritis. Why?

Arthritis affects millions of people in the world. If affects more children than many other diseases combined. Many arthritis patients have to take chemotherapy to treat their symptoms.....Alex does. Others have to go to Cancer and Dialysis Centers or hospitals to get infusions that take up to 8 hours to be pumped through an IV and into their bodies. Alex is only a couple steps away from this if her body doesn't go into remission soon! Just like Cancer, Arthritis can spread into other areas of the body if not treated correctly or quickly enough. And, just like Cancer there is a chance it could go into remission. But, did you know that it can also be life threatening....just like Cancer? Yet people still associate arthritis as something their grandma has. It is much much more than that friends!!

The goal of myself, my family and pretty much every parent of Juvenile Arthritis and of course the Arthritis sufferers themselves is AWARENESS!!! I want there to be a 6 hour concert/telethon on tv with all the hottest celebrities out there. I want to open a magazine and see a BLUE ribbon and a pair of hands that talks about how important funding and research are. I wan't to see pictures of beautiful children with a simple line that says "Kids Get Arthritis Too" underneath. I want fundraising walks and runs that draw thousands and make millions!

So today on World Arthritis Day I did all I could. My family and I wore our blue, we made cookies with blue frosting to hand out to friends, I wrote about Arthritis multiple times on my facebook account, my twitter and even Instagram. I have done all I can for today but I am not finished. With the help from all of us we can bring a bigger awareness to arthritis. Lets make it just as well known as any other terrible disease out there so that we can get help! We need help by more research, more medicines, more doctors and bottom line more money! Will you help me do this? Together we can!!

Finally, I leave you with pictures of family and friends we love! They chose to wear blue today for Alex but also for all of you who suffer out there.