WellChild award in UK honor girl, 15 with PA

[Guest guest]

These awards " honour the bravery of severely ill children and those

who work to improve the quality of their lives. "

From YOU Magazine:

" Jodie McLoughlin, aged 15

Like any mother, McLoughlin's instinctive response when she

sees her daughter wince with pain is to want to soothe her.

But countless times every day she has to check herself.

For Jodie, 15, lives in near-constant agony from psoriatic arthritis.

" Usually the best I can do is sit close by because physical contact

is excruciating for her, " says .

Jodie, from Bradford, West Yorkshire, is so severely affected that,

despite several operations to try to straighten her clenched hands

and feet, she is now confined to a wheelchair.

This is only one of her multiple health problems.

Jodie also has syndrome, a rare chromosomal abnormality that

restricts growth. She weighs just three stone and, although she loves

fashion, she must wear clothes designed to fit six-year-olds.

You might assume that such disabilities would cause Jodie to have a

restricted life.

In fact, she attends Bradford Academy, a mainstream school where she

is well known for her cheerful disposition.

" She's positive, motivated, determined. In over 30 years of teaching,

I have known no one more deserving, " wrote her teacher ine

Rossiter in nominating Jodie for a WellChild Award last year.

The judges agreed and Jodie, who won Bravest Child, travelled to

London to meet Prince Harry and attend a star-studded awards

ceremony, where Westlife and Rod were among the guests of

honour.

" Prince Harry told me that they'd picked me for a special reason. I

think it might be because we have the same colour hair, " Jodie says

shyly.

Jodie is currently undergoing chemotherapy to prepare her for a bone

marrow transplant, in the hope that it will alleviate her arthritis.

The treatment has made her more tired than usual, but she is

determined to continue with her daily routine.

This summer, she hopes to take five GCSEs.

, 46, who is divorced and has three older children, says, " Even

when she's not well enough for school, she insists on going. "

Jodie explains: " All my friends are there, and doing my work takes my

mind off my problems. For me, keeping busy is the best medicine. "

End of article. My comments:

Reading about Jodie certainly helps me be braver - what an

extraordinary young woman!

I've never heard of bone-marrow transplant as a treatment for PA.

What am I missing?

I wonder whether Jodie had the opportunity to receive biological meds

to treat her PA. If not, I wonder whether they might have prevented

the damage to her hands.

your thoughts?

sherry z