Girl draws attention to disease through book

[Guest guest]

Girl draws attention to disease through book

http://www.leadertelegram.com/story-features.asp?id=BGQ753ABDDJ

At age 7, Abbie Dodge already has had two signings to promote the picture

book she created with the help of her mother, Molly Dodge.

When she signs copies of " Vally the Villo's First Day Away, " she draws the

fictitious villo character from the book next to her signature.

Abbie, who wrote under the pen name Abigail , and Molly self-published

the 17-page book ($7.49). Mother and daughter are donating part of the book

proceeds to the Arthritis Foundation to help raise awareness of juvenile

rheumatoid arthritis.

What Abbie's grandmother, Dodge of rural Eau , finds humorous is

that seven to 10 adult authors joined Abbie at the Florida signings to

promote books.

" Abbie sold the most books at both signings. I think that's so funny, "

said. As of early April, several dozen of Abbie's books had been sold.

While is proud of her granddaughter's accomplishment, she's also happy

that Abbie has not let the attention from her book's publication go to her

head.

" I'm just so impressed with her, " said. " But what impresses me most is

Abbie's so unimpressed with it all. "

Though children at her school look up to her, she remains a humble little

girl, Molly agreed. " When the focus and attention is on her, she doesn't

like it. "

" Vally the Villo's First Day Away " was published in December. It tells about

Vally, an odd-looking creature called a villo, and the young creature's

first venture into the outside world.

Symptoms of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis began to surface in Abbie shortly

after she and her mother began to put together the book. When the painful

disease prevented the girl from being active outdoors, she started to focus

her desire to run and play through Vally, who could go on adventures.

Abbie's real-life journey began at age 3, when she made up characters that

she drew with pencils and crayons. Like many proud mothers, Molly kept all

the drawings.

" We had pages and pages. They were really starting to stack up, " Molly said.

Family members and friends noticed Abbie's advanced drawing skills, Molly

said. A friend convinced her to self-publish a children's book using the

drawings. Mom and daughter decided together what would be written on the

pages.

Molly, 31, graduated from Eau Memorial High School in 1994 and then

attended UW-Stout in Menomonie. She and Abbie lived with Molly's parents,

Jack and Dodge, in Eau for three years before moving to Naples,

Fla., about three years ago.

In August 2006, Molly noticed problems with Abbie, then 5. Abbie would wake

up with pain in her legs. " I thought they were growing pains, " Molly said.

But within two weeks, Abbie limped steadily when she walked and the whites

of her eyes had turned bright red.

" I said, 'Oh my gosh.' Then I decided I had to take her in (to the doctor), "

Molly said.

In Florida, one doctor suspected arthritis. A second thought Abbie might

have Kawasaki disease, an illness that can affect the skin, mucous

membranes, lymph nodes, blood vessel walls and heart. A third said the

problem could be stress or allergies.

" I had three doctors with three different opinions, " Molly said. After

talking with her parents, in September 2006 she decided to take Abbie to

Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

Abbie stayed in Rochester for a week, undergoing magnetic resonance imaging

(MRI), X-rays, blood work and a battery of other tests. Doctors sent Abbie

and Molly back to Florida without a firm diagnosis " and a huge load of

medications, " Molly said.

Abbie " left home in a lot of pain and came back home in a lot of pain, " she

said.

" She could barely walk, " recalled of her granddaughter. " It was just

horrible. "

Mayo Clinic doctors, including one who suspected juvenile rheumatoid

arthritis, asked Abbie and Molly to return a few days later. They then

diagnosed Abbie with the disease, which is the most common form of

persistent arthritis in children.

Between 100,000 and 250,000 children are afflicted with the disease in the

United States, said Dr. Van de Loo, a pediatrician at Luther Midelfort

in Eau .

Health professionals and researchers don't really know the cause, Van de Loo

said.

To be classified as having juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, a child must be 16

or younger and have inflammation for at least six weeks. Children ages 2 to

4 most commonly have the disease. It typically is treated with drugs that

suppress inflammation, Van de Loo said.

Up to 75 percent of children with the disease go into permanent remission.

" It's not a lifelong condition for many people, " he said.

Once the disease was identified, Molly decided to have Abbie treated closer

to home at Miami Children's Hospital.

" Within two weeks of treatment, it's like she didn't have it anymore, " Molly

said. " She responded so well. "

Abbie is pain-free but still takes drugs to keep her symptoms and the

disease under control. She and Molly go to the Miami hospital every other

month for checkups.

" There's nothing she can't do, " Molly said of Abbie. " So far, so good. Her

doctor seems hopeful. "

When Abbie was at the peak of the pain associated with her condition, she

limited her activities - everything but drawing.

" When she started to get sick, she didn't want to go outside. She just

wanted to draw, " Molly said.

They returned their book project to the front burner after Abbie's pain

subsided.

Abbie continues to draw more than ever. Will additional children's books be

in the offing?

" That's up to her, " Molly said. " She's coming up with a new character. "

Abbie frequently visits her grandpa and grandma in Eau . She will stay

with them for a month this summer, and is getting the necessary art

supplies ready.

" By the time Abbie leaves here, she will have gone through a ream of paper, "

said.

Holtz can be reached at 833-9207, 800-236-7077 or dan.holtz@....