Friday, November 12, 2010

These Shoes Are Blue!

According to the Arthritis Foundation, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that 46.4 million Americans suffer from some form of doctor-diagnosed arthritis. In 2003-2005, that meant that 21.6% of American adults had doctor-diagnosed arthritis. With an aging population, the numbers are expected only to increase.

It's a relentless, miserable ache in the shoulder that keeps a grandfather from playing baseball with his grandson. It's a merciless pain in the fingers that keep your elderly neighbor from being able to open medication bottles, or even grasp a spoon tightly. It becomes disabling, and it's a devastating disease for families who have children that are diagnosed with arthritis, forever altering the manner in which those children experience life.

Slip on your favorite shoes and participate in a Jingle Bell Run or Walk in your area, or donate today to support finding improved treatments . . . yes, even a cure for arthritis. After all, you could be one of the next patients in that 21.6% of Americans who are diagnosed with the disease.

Just click on the symbol to donate!

I'll be looking for some worthy shoes to borrow for this run, so don't forget to leave a comment about someone you know who suffers from arthritis. I'll write a tribute, take his or her name with me across the finish line, and make a donation in that person's honor.

Here's to the next mile!