Benton girl going to Arthritis Advocacy Summit in Washington, D.C.

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Benton girl going to Arthritis Advocacy Summit in Washington, D.C.

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Posted Feb 23, 2011 @ 05:29 PM

Hayley Koontz's struggle with arthritis began very early in life when she

was diagnosed with Juvenile Arthritis in October 2001 at the age of 2. A

blood test also showed she tested positive for a kind of protein known as

antinuclear antibody (ANA) that causes inflammation in the eyes (uveitis).

Hayley's been to the eye doctor more than 80 times for checkups and has had

to have various types of eye drops off and on since her diagnosis to treat

the inflammation caused by her arthritis.

Haley, 11, has endured many hardships since her initial diagnosis with

arthritis. These struggles have included mornings she could not walk,

swelling in her knee was so severe that she had to have surgery to remove

the fluid, a cataract forming in one eye as a result of inflammation, and

many other things that most kids her age couldn't imagine having to endure.

In addition to the eye disease, Hayley's left knee is the joint most

affected by arthritis. She has days when she struggles with pain, but her

medications have allowed her to lead an active life with less pain and

swelling. She attends grade school and enjoys many activities such as

swimming, reading, writing and rock climbing.

When Hayley was first diagnosed, it was a struggle with insurance companies

and doctors to get Hayley to be seen by a pediatric rheumatologist. It was

a JRA conference in Nebraska in July 2003 where we were encouraged by other

parents to fight for Hayley's treatment and insist on pediatric care for her

condition.

Hayley and her family want to continue their fight for treatment of Juvenile

Arthritis and will attend the 2011 Advocacy Summit so that they can do so.

Steve and Sandy Koontz family of Benton wants to help Congress and the

general public realize that arthritis is not just a disease for old people.

300,000 children in the U.S. suffer from arthritis, and there are very few

doctors working to treat them.

Hayley wants to be able to grow up and fulfill her dream of becoming a

National Park Ranger, without having to constantly struggle with arthritis.

She hopes that by lobbying Congress she will be able to help the Arthritis

Foundation in its mission to help treat, control and eventually cure

arthritis.

Today, Hayley takes Plaquenil and Humira for her conditions. Her eye

disease is currently in remission, and although she still struggles with

pain and swelling in the knee, she is able to lead an active life.

The Arthritis Foundation is proud to present Hayley and her mother Sandy

with a stipend to attend the Annual Advocacy Summit from Feb. 28 - March 2.

This event brings together advocates, young and old, from across the country

to meet with their Members of Congress in Washington, D.C. to:

.. Learn firsthand about our priority advocacy issues;

.. Meet face-to-face with your Members of Congress and educate them about

arthritis and its devastating effects on the 50 million adults and 300,000

kids with the disease, their families, and our country's economy.

.. Let Congress know more needs to be done for people with arthritis.

The Arthritis Foundation

The Arthritis Foundation is the only nationwide, nonprofit health

organization helping people take greater control of arthritis by leading

efforts to prevent, control and cure arthritis and related diseases -- the

nation's most common cause of disability.

The Arthritis Foundation is the largest non-governmental funder of arthritis

research in the world. Since 1948, the Arthritis Foundation has provided

over $400 million to arthritis-related research through its nationally

recognized peer-review research award program.

For free information on improving health and limiting the impact of

arthritis, contact the Arthritis Foundation at 1-800-283-7800 or

www.arthritis.org.